A forty-minute unique educational film The Truth About Tigers by world-renowned wildlife filmmaker Shekhar Dattatri talks about the tiger’s life from birth to death and illustrates how different human activities impact the conservation of this great predator. The film, which was released in Bangalore as an educational tool to conserve tigers in India on Thursday, links the man animal conflict and its consequences in the Indian forest. The well-researched documentary, which is being distributed free to create awareness about the need to conserve tigers, also questions the forest policy as well as the effort of the forest department to conserve tigers. The film was released in Bangalore in a function organised by the Bangalore Press Club and Bangalore Reporter’s Guild to sensitize the media as well on disappearing tigers in the country. According to Dattatri, India’s national animal is disappearing at an alarming rate from our forests. “The Government estimates reveal that there may be fewer than 1,500 animals left. Why have India’s tigers declined so drastically? What exactly are the problems facing their conservation? And are there any solutions to the crisis? The film answers all these and many other questions,” the filmmaker said. The film also provides useful pointers on how ordinary citizens can contribute towards saving the tiger. “Tigers don’t need to justify their existence on this planet any more than we do. It is our privilege to still have them in our midst and we must do all we can to pass them on to future generations,” said Dattatri. The Truth About Tigers is a first-of-its-kind video guide for all those who want to understand tigers and the problems associated with their conservation. It aims to put the distilled wisdom of top tiger experts in the hands of viewers so that they are empowered to ask the right questions and demand the right actions. The film calls for political will to save Indian tigers and forest. Hundreds of rivers that we depend upon for irrigation and drinking water have their origins in forests that have been protected in the name of the tiger. If tigers disappear, the political will to save these forests will erode further. Mining and timber mafias will then degrade and destroy them, and, in the process, put all our lives at risk, the film argues. It also highlights the fact that the insatiable demand for tiger skin, bones and organs - primarily from China - is fueling poaching by organised and well-networked criminal gangs. These gangs, mainly members of highly skilled hunting tribes like the Baheliya and Bawaria from Central India, travel to wildlife reserves across the country on poaching expeditions and are wiping out entire populations. “Saving tigers isn’t rocket science. This is a resilient species that breeds well and has the ability to bounce back given adequate protection. This was demonstrated in the 1970s and 1980s when a determined effort was made to protect the tiger and its habitats. Despite the fact that India was an extremely poor country back then, tiger numbers saw a dramatic increase in many reserves proving that all we really need to do is provide adequate protection to wild tigers, their prey and habitat, and nature will do the rest” observed Dattatri. The film, which took two years to create, combines stunning footage shot by some of the world’s leading cinematographers with deep insights from experts such as renowned tiger biologist Ullas Karanth of the Wildlife Conservation Society and wildlife crime fighter, Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. Internationally acclaimed actor Roshan Seth, provides the voiceover for the English version of the film and David Mitcham, one of Britain’s top documentary composers, has generously contributed a bulk of the music used in the film. Besides English, the film is available in Tamil, Hindi, Marathi and Kannada languages.