disruption of ecological balance
Ecosystems are extremely fragile. They rely on a wide variety of factors to thrive, especially the maintenance of the food chain. Tigers, regardless of their rapidly decreasing population, remain at the top of the food chain in their respective ecosystems, as evident in Figure 3.a. As a result, the species is required to control the size of the populations of its prey, which include deer, wild boar, sambar and gaur. However, the extinction of tigers would result in the rapid increase in numbers of these species, due to the lack of predators. This creates a domino effect, with the substantially enlarged population completely overwhelming the vegetation of the ecosystems, which serve as their primary source of food; this loss of vegetation would result in the destruction of both habitats and sources of food for various smaller animals and insects, in addition to severely damaging the surrounding environment, effectively destroying the balance of the ecosystem. However, this destruction of ecosystems not only impacts wildlife to an extreme extent, but also negatively influences humanity as well. Humans are highly dependent on the ecosystems which tigers inhabit as a source for a variety of aspects, including fresh water and food; this is particularly applicable for the smaller communities which rely almost exclusively on the environment for survival; the loss of these ecosystems would significantly reduce the availability of vital resources for these communities.