Every year on July 29th, International Tiger Day is observed to raise awareness about this majestic yet endangered large cat. The day established in 2010. When the 13 tiger range countries banded together to form Tx2. A global objective to double the number of wild tigers by 2022.
2016 marks the halfway point of this ambitious goal and this year has been one of the most united and exciting Global Tiger Days yet. WWF offices, organisations, celebrities, government officials, families, friends and individuals around the world came together in support of the #ThumbsUpForTigers campaign – showing the tiger range countries that there is worldwide support for tiger conservation efforts and the Tx2 goal.
History
International Tiger Day was established in 2010 at Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia to raise awareness about the decline of wild tiger numbers, leaving them on the brink of extinction, and to encourage the work of Tiger conservation. In the Summit, a declaration was made that Governments of tiger-populated countries had vowed to double the tiger population by 2020.
Several events every year are organized by animal organizations like WWF, IFAW, and the Smithsonian Institute.
International Tiger Day 2022 Significance
International Tiger Day was introduced in 2010 after it was discovered that 97 percent of the tigers had disappeared in the past century, with only about 3,000 remaining. Since tigers were on the verge of extinction, a number of countries around the world signed an agreement to prevent the situation from worsening.
This day aims at protecting and expanding tiger habitats apart from preserving these species. International Tiger Day is observed by many international organisations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Smithsonian Institution.
The current population of tigers is 3,900, as per the World Wide Fund for Nature. India is home to nearly 70 per cent of the world’s tiger population.
