Kolkata: On the occasion of Global Tiger Day today, wildlife experts said the majestic big cat emerged as the ambassador of India's conservation efforts.
"Tiger symbolises our overall conservation efforts. It is a vehicle and an ambassador of how we can take care of the conservation of our forests," Sundarban Biosphere Reserve director Pradeep Vyas said at a discussion here to mark the Global Tiger Day.
In the fierce war between development and conservation if tigers or any other animal species is lost then no amount of money can bring it back, the tiger expert said.
According to the latest census, the number of tigers in India has increased by 30 per cent since 2010 to 2,226 in 2014.
Corbett Tiger Reserve's director Samir Sinha said, "A number of rivers pass through these tiger reserves. As a result they are the symbols of our food security. If the tiger reserves are lost, we will also lose our rivers and their catchment areas. We will then become poorer," he said.
To raise awareness on tiger conservation, a day-long programme was organised at the Indian Museum.
Organised in collaboration with Society for Heritage & Ecological Researches (SHER), students made clay models of tiger while a team of folk dancers from Odisha presented their traditional 'Bagh Nritya' (Tiger Dance).
The museum has also put up an exhibition on tiger.
Parbati Barua, honorary chief wildlife warden of Assam, said humans have the responsibility to ensure that wildlife can co-exist peacefully.
Actor and wildlife photographer Sabyasachi Chakrabarty said he believes that all animals are also a part of the society we live in.
"Saving the tiger is more important than voting. No political party asks us to kill tiger but saving the tiger is not a priority for anyone," he said.