Jamshedpur has taken the initiative to save tigers from extinction. A file photo

Jamshedpur, Oct. 11: The children of the steel city have joined hands to save the tiger from extinction.

Thanks to noted environmentalist Bittu Sehgal, of Sanctuary magazine fame, the five-year-old popular programme “Kids For Tiger”, has now reached Jamshedpur.

Jamshedpur will be the first city in Jharkhand to join 500 schools in 14 cities across India to launch this programme, which will use the help of India’s newest and most vibrant green force — teachers and school children — to save the endangered species.

Bittu Sehgal, who spent a year in Jamshedpur during his childhood, told The Telegraph that Jharkhand had to be made part of the programme. “Jharkhand cannot be ignored because of its rich forest area. Later it will be extended to other parts of the state,” he said. “The tiger can only be saved if natural forests are saved. By saving such forests, we end up saving our purest water sources and thus ourselves.”

According to Joydip Suchandra Kundu, a wildlife photographer associated with Sanctuary, the first step in the programme is to teach children about tigers: their behaviour and habitat and why we need to save them.

The second step will have tree parties for children and an awareness march to reach out to people and motivate them to save tigers. The third step is to arrange for notice boards in schools where children would put up news and write-ups on the national animal, said Kundu.

The list of people involved with this programme is impressive. Soon after the death of all the tigers in Sariska, the Kids for Tiger task force was invited by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. They also interacted with governors, chief ministers and chief warden directors of almost all tiger reserves. The children also sought the intervention of the Dalai Lama in preventing Tibetans from wearing tiger skin robes. The organisation has a website www.kidsfortiger.org, where every month a particular school is talked about.

The highlight of the present year includes slide shows on the topic: The Tiger’s Destiny: A now or never movement to save the species.