Aircel has partnered with NDTV to amplify the cause of Save Our Tigers by raising awareness about the state of tigers in our country and gathering public support for tiger conservation. The campaign aims to provide a platform to tiger conservationists and concerned citizens to raise issues, voice their opinions and contribute to the cause. Amitabh Bachchan too has joined the initiative as the Campaign Ambassador and is also showing his support for the cause through his blog.
The Year 1 of the campaign saw a series of special tiger programmes which were telecast to highlight the situation and challenges facing our national animal. The campaign in its first year itself, helped bring forth a common agenda for tiger conservation which was presented to Chief Ministers of key tiger states, who committed their support to take affirmative action on-ground.
The first year of the NDTV campaign culminated in a 12-hour Telethon on 12th December, 2010. During the telethon, the best minds on tiger conservation appealed to political leaders and the general public to do their bit to help safeguard the most charismatic big cat on Earth. As a welcome result of the campaign, several prominent political leaders came on air and pledged to protect our national animal and its habitat in their respective states.
The Telethon was an overwhelming success as nearly 45 million rupees were raised and donations in kind were pledged. The funds collected have been used to provide Rapid Response Units (RRU’s) to equip and train Forest Departments across reserves in India to respond during emergency situations like man-animal conflict, anti-poaching patrolling and fire-fighting among others.
The detailed list of donors can be viewed on: http://tiger.ndtv.com/donors.aspx and for a statement of accounts, please visit: http://tiger.ndtv.com/receiptsandpayments.aspx
RECAP OF YEAR 1
On this episode of Save Our Tigers, Aircel highlights the success of the first year from the signature drive that brought the entire nation together to pledge their commitment for tigers. Campaign ambassador Amitabh Bachchan joined the initiative in 2010 to host the first ever 12-hour live telethon from Pench, Madhya Pradesh. Highlights from this telethon include some of the biggest conservationists, celebrities and politicians coming together on one platform to voice their concerns for the national animal.
