The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has adopted a brand new flagship logo depicting its task of conserving the endangered big cats in the country, apparently to counter the allegation of wildlife activist Belinda Wright.
"The Centre of Environment and Education (CEE) has created the logo for us as the existing one was being temporarily used. Now the new logo can be used in-house," Rajesh Gopal, member-secretary of NTCA, told PTI.
He said the new image displaying the profile of the striped cat on a green background has been made keeping with the organisation's image - a protector of the endangered predator.
The need to have new logo was felt after the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), an NGO headed by prominent wildlife activist Belinda Wright, alleged that the NTCA had copied its logo and was "using it without permission".
Welcoming the NTCA's initiation to finally have its own logo, Wright said, "the new logo has come at a right time. The organisation has a key role in protecting the predator which is the umbrella animal for all other animals."
Project Tiger, launched in 1973-74, is considered one of the most successful conservation ventures in the recent time. The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted 'tiger reserves', which are representative of various bio-geographical regions falling within the country.
It strives to maintain a viable tiger population in the natural environment. The project was started as a 'Central Sector Scheme' with the full assistance of Central Government till 1979-80. It became a 'Centrally-sponsored Scheme' from 1980-81, with equal sharing of expenditure between the Centre and the states.
According to the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, there are merely 1,400 tigers left in the country.
