PUNE: Wildlife author Deepak Dalal on Friday said while the US was doing a commendable job protecting wildlife, India has yet to achieve a lot in terms of its wildlife. Dalal was addressing an auditorium packed with more than 150 schoolchildren from 80 city-based schools at the Times NIE Newsmakers Meet. A question-answer session with Dalal showed the inquisitive side of city's children. They seemed intrigued by the profession of journalism and showed concern about the country's dwindling wildlife-facets. A student wished to know what measures children could adopt to protect tigers. Dalal suggested that creating awareness about the dwindling tiger population, its causes and possible solutions could be one way children can help. "Children cannot be put on the frontline alongside poachers to protect tigers. They can, however, raise awareness amongst their peers and citizens about what is happening to the wildlife in India and measures that can be adopted to protect them," said Dalal. Answering a question on the possible comparison between wildlife protection in India and that in the US, Dalal said, "When it comes to taking care of wildlife, the US has had a far worse history than India. This, however, was 100 years ago when several species were wiped off the planet as they were settling down. Now, people of the US are more educated and feel proud of their wildlife. What happened in the US 100 years ago is now happening in India, which still has a long way to go in preserving its wildlife." Dalal also said that in the event of animals attacking villagers, 99% of attacks were results of people encroaching into forests. "Wild animals rarely come out of the wild to attack people. It is only when people trespass into the forest that animals attack. Also, animals do not attack people for food," he said."Who should be blamed for encroachments in forests?" asked one student. "Population growth is part of the problem. Population has crossed more than seven billion in the last 50 years. The growing population needs resources, including land. This is when humans encroach upon animal space. It is then that the space reserved for animals is encroached upon. Another reason is human greed. Animals are hunted and killed to satiate various human needs," he said.