Stripey, darling of netizens

It’s not often that you see a brand ambassador who is a not a celebrity become an instant sensation. Stripey, the tiger cub which is featured in the ‘Save our tigers’ advertising campaign has become an overnight celebrity of sorts. And what’s interesting to note is that the tiger cubs seems to have found many fans, including big names like Suriya, MS Dhoni, Abhishek Bachchan and Bhaichung Bhutia to endorse his cause.
From posting online roars to the creation of blogs, communities on Facebook, Twitter postings, donations, SMS and email campaigns to voluntary work with NGOs as well, the little cub has managed to bring several Chennaiites into the fray of conservation. The TV commercial that ends with a question mark on Stripey’s survival has become a major cause for concern among his fans, especially after they learnt that his mother has died.
“You can’t help but fall in love with Stripey! It’s awful to hear about his mom, I think this serves as a wake up call for all of us to get together for a good cause,” says Nithya Ganeshan, a science graduate, who is planning to enroll with an NGO that works for this cause. From posting online roars to the creation of blogs, communities, the little cub has managed to bring several Chennaiites into the fray of conservation.
Experts too endorse this move. KVRK Thirunaranan, the managing trustee of Nature Care, a wildlife NGO based in Chennai, says, “I’m glad that youngsters from Chennai are supporting the campaign to protect the tiger and Stripey is surely leading the way for many. In fact, our state happens to be the only one which has shown an increase in the number of tigers in its reserves.”