Feted for their bones and skin, tigers are fighting for survival in several countries across Asia. India, however, has shown progress in tiger conservation 

The majestic creature isn’t burning bright. From a lakh a century ago, the tiger population is down to just about 3,900. Listed as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), tigers are fighting for survival, literally. The International Tiger Day strives to make people more aware about tiger conservation. Here is a primer on why tiger conservation is important and where India stands: 

Tigers are one of the most beautiful animals. Global Tiger Day, also known as International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation. It is held on July 29th every year. The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is a member of the genus Panthera and the largest living cat  species native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is traditionally classified into nine recent subspecies, though some recognise only two subspecies, mainland Asian tigers and the island tigers of the Sunda Islands.

After a century of decline, overall wild tiger numbers are starting to tick upward. Based on the best available information, tiger populations are stable or increasing in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia and China. About 5,574 tigers remain in the wild, according to the Global Tiger Forum, but much more work is needed to protect this species if we are to secure its future in the wild. In some areas, including much of Southeast Asia, tigers are still in crisis and declining in number.

Radhachura (রাধাচূড়া ফুল) - Caesalpinia pulcherrima

A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places that has been surfaced or otherwise improved to allow travel by foot or some form of conveyance, including a motor vehicle, cart, bicycle, or horse. Roads have been adapted to a large range of structures and types in order to achieve a common goal of transportation under a large and wide range of conditions. The specific purpose, mode of transport, material[1][2] and location of a road determine the characteristics it must have in order to maximize its usefulness. Following is one classification scheme.

Access disruptions on roads following a disaster can cause significant social and economic losses. Risk informed infrastructure investment is critical to ensure the construction and maintenance of resilient road networks.

Plants tell time. Not the way we do – for example, it’s 3.40pm, time to pick up the kids. But like animals, plants can sense that winter is coming and it’s time to drop leaves.

A sunflower anticipates daybreak, much like a rooster does before starting to crow. At sunrise, sunflowers face east to greet the first rays and continue to move with the sun until it sets in the west. Overnight, the sunflower head swings back around so it faces east at dawn.

Dr Mike Haydon, a University of Melbourne plant scientist, says sunflowers only move until the flower bud opens. At that point they stop their daily dance and permanently face east. “This is where the controversy arises,’’ says Dr Haydon, from the School of BioSciences. “People say ‘my sunflowers don’t track the sun’. Well if they’re open sunflowers, then they don’t do that because that’s when they’ve stopped.”

Shaped like a shield, sap-sucking stink bugs are brown, green or mottled. They feed on a wide variety of edible plants, including various fruit trees and some ornamentals. Fruits become puckered, scarred and distorted as a result of the feeding. The eggs are light red to yellow-red and are found on the undersides of leaves. Read more about controlling stink bugs.

Somewhat flat in shape, squash bugs are dark brown or black and congregate at the base of plants or under dead foliage. They have piercing mouthparts that suck plant sap, causing yellow spots on leaves that will often later wilt, blacken, die and fall off. The eggs are long and yellow in color. Read more about controlling squash bugs.