Students taking part in the World Tiger Day event at AVS Institution in Tiruppur district on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
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Hundreds of school students learnt how the life of the apex predator directly impacts human survival, agriculture, and water security, as participants of World Tiger Day celebration in Tiruppur district on Friday.
Highlighting ‘Save the Tiger’ slogan, the event organised jointly by the Forest Department and VETRY NGO at AVS Institution witnessed about 700 students of Classes VII and VIII from three schools interacting with top forest officials and biologists and gathering insights into the corollary between the tiger habitats and water accrual for the rivers from the catchments in the forested Western Ghats that sustain agriculture in the plains.
Citing his observation on increased water flow into Thamirabarani river from the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve for over a six-year duration, D. Venkatesh, Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve, explained that the disappearance of even a single tiger sets off a chain reaction straining water resources, eventually impacting agriculture. Tigers, he said in his key note address, were the country’s primary water towers.
Peter Prem Chakravarthi, biologist with 25 years experience in tiger-tracking in Anamalai Tiger Reserve, oriented the students on identifying individual tigers based on unique stripe patterns; mechanics of territorial marking by tigers across India; technology behind fitting radio collars to monitor movements of the wild cats; capture of crucial wildlife data through motion-sensor camera traps; and the traditional method of using Plaster of Paris to secure pugmarks during wildlife census.
A documentary on biodiversity was also screened for the students. Natraj Muthusamy, CEO of VETRY NGO, drew their attention to the addition of 709 new fauna species by the Zoological Survey of India, and 353 new flora species by the Botanical Survey of India.
The entire cohort of 700 students will shortly be taken on field trips encompassing guided bird-watching expeditions at local water bodies to study wetland ecosystems; and an immersive nature trail experience inside the tiger reserve to learn about forest conservation firsthand, Mr. Natraj said.
Chairman of AVP Institution Karthikeyan, and the principals of the participating schools hailed the initiative for bringing real-world conservation science into the student ecosystem.
Published – July 31, 2026 11:20 pm IST
