Actor and wildlife enthusiast Randeep Hooda marked International Tiger Day by urging people to focus on protecting tiger habitats and wildlife corridors, saying conservation efforts should extend beyond increasing the big cat's population.
Sharing a photograph of a tiger on Instagram, Hooda said that while the growing tiger population was a matter of pride, their habitats and corridors continued to face destruction due to mining and infrastructure projects. He stressed that saving tigers meant safeguarding their natural habitats, which ultimately benefited humanity as well.
Several celebrities also used social media to promote wildlife conservation on the occasion. Actress Shriya Pilgaonkar recalled her first experience of seeing tigers in the wild, describing it as both surreal and humbling. She noted that India was home to nearly 70 per cent of the world's wild tiger population and emphasised that protecting forests was essential not only for tigers but for the broader ecosystem.
Observed annually on July 29, International Tiger Day aims to raise awareness about the declining population of wild tigers, the threats posed by poaching and the need to conserve their natural habitats. The observance was established during the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia after studies highlighted the sharp decline in the global wild tiger population over the previous century. (IANS)
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