Sachin Tendulkar, who has been dubbed as one of the best cricketers the game has ever seen dedicated his latest performance to conservation of India’s tigers, later stating that,

“This majestic species is a symbol of India’s rich and diverse wildlife heritage. It is in our best interests to ensure that this magnificent animal is not wiped out.”

Their numbers have been, and continue to be, devastated by the trade in tiger body parts, with demand being especially high in China. Their hunger for tiger products has made the tiger worth more dead than as they should be, alive and majestically walking the planet.

Numbers of tigers in India have plumetted largely due to poaching, old age, illness and poisoning, and in-fighting has also seen its casualties. Added to this however, it is believed that humans are contributing more than just through poaching. Destruction of the animal’s natural habitat is leaving tigers with even more to contend with. In 2006, there were just 1141 tigers left in India, and with the equivalent of one tiger each month being killed, that number is extremely likely to be much lower now.

We need as many people as possible to get behind endangered species such as these tigers to help secure their future and take action to stop the poaching continuing at its current rate. Laws have already been passed to attempt to reduce the problem, and goods are confiscated, but by this time, another animal has already died. Action needs to be taken to stop the animals being slaughtered in the first place.