Mumbai // A massive search is under way for India’s most famous tiger, with millions of adoring fans worried sick about the big cat known as Jai who went missing three months ago.
Named after Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan's character in the hit 1975 film Sholay, the tiger shot to nationwide fame three years ago after embarking on an epic hike through villages, rivers and dangerous highways in successful pursuit of a mate.
A firm favourite with tourists and conservationists alike, the seven-year-old, 250-kilogram cat was last seen at the Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary, where he usually lives, on April 18.
Wildlife officials in the western Indian state of Maharashtra launched a massive search operation, hoping to find Jai by Friday – International Tiger Day – but admit they are clueless as to his fate.
“Whether he has moved to forest interiors or is with a new mate, no information is available as of yet,” said M S Reddy, a tiger expert helping the search.
Forestry rangers said they first become worried about Jai after his electronic collar stopped transmitting his location three months ago, while tourist sightings of the striped cat have dried up.
The state government has offered a reward of 50,000 rupees (Dh2,745) for information on Jai’s location, a small fortune for the hundreds of local villagers engaged in the hunt.
Indian newspapers are carrying daily reports on the latest speculation about where Jai may be or what fate might have befallen him. There have been claims of sightings but none have been confirmed.
In the eastern district of Nagpur this week, home to the sanctuary where Jai lives, worried locals held a pooja, or prayer ceremony, for his safety.
Some devotees threw religious offerings on to a fire while others held up posters of the missing cat. A small boy was seen stroking a tiger soft toy in local online news clips of the event.
Jai has been credited with boosting both tourism and India’s tiger population.
“He’s successfully fathered more than 20 cubs and has boosted the local economy by attracting wildlife enthusiasts,” said Rohit Karoo, a conservationist helping to coordinate the hunt.
“Losing such a majestic tiger would be a great loss for India.”
Mr Karoo said no stone was being left unturned to track Jai down in a search extending over several hundred kilometres.
“Around 10 non-governmental organisations, locals from nearly 400 villages and forest officials are patrolling the forests in Maharashtra to locate Jai,” he said.
India is home to about 2,200 tigers, representing 70 per cent of the world’s endangered tiger population in the wild.
Some reports have speculated that Jai may have been wounded in a fight with another tiger, poached by hunters involved in the illegal wildlife trade or merely fallen sick.
However, Mr Karoo was quick to quash such rumours.
“I don’t think anything bad has befallen him as he is a dominant male tiger with the capacity to travel large distances,” he said.
* Agence France-Presse
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
