Question

White Bengal tigers are protected in a special setting in zoological parks. Tiger reserves are maintained in the Western Ghats. How do these two approaches differ from each other? Mention the advantages of each one.

Answer 1

Hint: A zoological park is a place where animals are protected within a certain area. It is meant for the purpose of educating people, for research purposes, a recreation of natural habitats of animals and are regulated by the government. Similarly, tiger reserves are places to protect the tiger’s population.

Complete answer: The population of tigers are reducing continuously day after day. To protect the tiger population, a number of projects have been established. The Western Ghats is one of the tiger reserves to protect them. According to a report, in the Western Ghats, about 406 tigers are present (in Karnataka) and Kerala has an estimated of about 136 tigers. Tiger reserves have mainly two zones:
i. Core zone (have large degrees of protection and human activities are prohibited).
ii. Buffer zone (have lesser degrees of habitat protection).
The main advantages of tiger reserves are:
a. It maintains the population of tigers.
b. It conserves the gene pool.
c. Tiger reserves offer resilience for climate change and other environmental challenges.
d. The tiger reserves offer protection from disease, predators and parasites.
e. It maintains the food chain in the ecosystem.
However, zoological parks involve the protection of animals within a certain area. The benefits of zoological parks are as follows:
a. It is important for research and education.
b. It helps in the preservation of the wild population.

Note: Project tiger was launched by the Indian government to draw attention towards the extinction of tigers. Under this project, the population of Bengal tigers are protected in their natural habitats and in tiger reserves. There are about 50 tiger reserves and about 72 Zoological parks present in India and are spread across 18 states that include Assam, Rajasthan, Bihar, etc.