Tourism for Tiger conservation
Honorary Secretary of Tiger Trust Anjana Gosain was invited by Clemson University, South Carolina, as the keynote speaker at the first meeting of the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition. She talks about how tour operators and hoteliers need to contribute
Commercialisation is good, but it should not let you forget your basic duties. Tigers are important for tourism
Tiger conservation is an important responsibility that we all have towards our national animal. And Tiger Trust has been working relentlessly in India for more than five decades to promote this cause. The trust’s Honorary Secretary Anjana Gosain was invited at Clemson University, South Carolina, as the keynote speaker at the first meeting of the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition. The student group Tigers for Tigers showed their passion to save wild tigers at Clemson University when they united with 13 other tiger mascot schools to create a new ‘National Tigers for Tigers Coalition’. Gosain says, “I apprised those present there about the Royal Bengal Tiger and the efforts made by the government and the other stakeholders to preserve them. The students are campaigning against tigers in captivity, and we want to see the tigers in their natural habitat.”
Gosain also addressed the many challenges that wild tigers face – habitat destruction, poaching and more increasingly humananimal conflict. She acknowledges the power of the youth to act as a deterrent. “The youth have a very important role to play as far as conservation is concerned. Those of us who are professionals may be concerned, but we may not always have the time to talk, campaign and make others aware of the problems. The youth can take up this responsibility. The number of tigers in captivity is 10 times more than the ones in the wild. Because once you see them in your backyard then there is no curiosity to see them in their natural habitat.” However, it’s not just the youth, Gosain says tour operators and hoteliers also have a responsibility towards conservation. She says they play a very important role in educating the public. “Some of the most important aspects that have been discussed at length are education and awareness. Besides the com- mercial part, hoteliers also have a responsibility to make tourists aware of their surroundings and raise objections to anything wrong taking place around them. Under our Constitution, it’s not only our right to enjoy the environment, but we should also protect it. Commercialisation is good, but it should not let you forget your basic duty. If there are no tigers, there will be no tourism. Tour operators should respect the rules and regulations that are now in place and also make people aware.”