MUMBAI: The tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage and when he is exterminated — as exterminated he will be, unless public opinion rallies to his support — India will be poorer by having lost the finest of its fauna” Jim Corbett’s immortal lines are being taken to heart by the big cats of Corporate India, who have now decided to put their considerable weight behind their natural counterpart — the tiger. With evidence of the depleting tiger population in the country’s reserves growing, corporates have decided to enter the fray and supplement efforts by NGOs and the government to protect what most would consider to be ‘India’s greatest brand.’ “The recent reports of poaching gangs impacting the tiger population in Sariska and Ranthambore only underscores the constant threat the magnificent cat faces for survival. The situation in other sanctuaries is equally worrying and gives us ample reason to be concerned,” said Hemedra Kothari, chairman, DSP Merrill Lynch, speaking on behalf of the corporate community, which has pledged to protect India’s wildlife.
While the group did discuss immediate concerns, such as lack of funds, infrastructure, political will and awareness, it did not, as S Ramadorai, MD, TCS said, intend to replace the existing efforts by either the government or NGOs.
“We would rather support work of credible organisations and individuals to combat environmental problems,” he said. The contribution was likely to come in terms of contribution of funds, expertise and voluntary manpower.
The group, consisting of names from Mumbai’s top business houses, will now work together to lend their support to nature conservation and to win a national consensus for wildlife conservation.
The group consisting of people, such as Hemedra Kothari, S Ramadorai, Mukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra, Adi Godrej, Ratan Tata, Naina Lal Kidwai, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Ajay Piramal, Deepak Parekh, Sunil Munjal, Vikram Lal, Romesh Sobti, Feroza and Jamshyd Godrej will also be approaching all like-minded corporates and associations, including the CII, Assocham and Ficci to be a part of their initiatives.
According to recent estimates, the trade in illegal wildlife products is next only to narcotics and arms smuggling and is worth approximately $12bn a year. This movement, experts say, is only aggravated by the international demand for wildlife products. “It is our duty to try and stop such mindless plunder of our natural treasures. We should use some diplomatic channels to convince other countries to discourage the use and consumption of wildlife products,” Mr Kothari said.
According to a conservative estimate, India has approximately 1,500 tigers left in its 28 reserves across the country. “Figures on tigers are never exact and everybody’s guess is a guesstimate,” says Bittu Sahgal, editor, Sanctuary magazine, who is also involved in this initiative.
Moreover, governmental agencies rarely report cases of tiger poaching, poisoning or death as they would be held responsible for it. This, according to Mr Sahgal, is the reason why most were unaware of this ongoing ferment till the actual explosion.
