The Tiger
Save Tigers Now hopes to build political and public support to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger.
Importance
The tiger is one of the most revered, feared and popular species on Earth. It is perhaps the most powerful symbol of our planet’s endangered wildlife.
Once widespread across Asia, fewer than 7,000 wild tigers are now found in just 7% of their historic range. This apex predator has a vital role in maintaining the natural balance of tigerlands that hold some of the richest biodiversity in the world, from the mangroves of India to the edge of the Siberian Taiga down to the island of Sumatra.
Tigers are an “umbrella species,” and protecting their habitat benefits hundreds, even thousands, of other species in the process, including people. Stopping the poaching of tigers can help save other vulnerable species, strengthen local communities, improve law enforcement and solidify regional cooperation.
Threats
The most immediate threat to wild tigers is poaching. Despite international and domestic bans, a thriving black market for tiger skins and bones threatens to wipe out wild tigers. China, with its booming economy, burgeoning human population and ancient traditions of using tiger parts as medicine and clothing, is the world’s leading consumer of tiger products.
Even more, over the past 6 decades, tiger habitat has been extensively destroyed, degraded and fragmented by human activities – mainly clearing of forests for agriculture and the timber trade and development activities such as the building of road networks. In the last 10 years, tiger habitat decreased by an alarming 45% and today, tigers occupy just 7% of their historic range.
Along with habitat loss, tigers have suffered from severe loss of natural prey populations – in particular, ungulates such as wild deer, goats, sheep, and pigs – either due to direct hunting by people or through competition with domestic animals.
Solutions
An unprecedented coalition, made up of environmental, zoo and animal protection organizations as well as the traditional Chinese medicine community, has come together to speak with one voice in calling for an end to trade in tiger parts and products through increased intelligence-led law enforcement and strengthening existing tiger-trade bans. Furthermore, the coalition joins leaders of the international traditional Chinese medicine industry in asking China to make its successful 14-year tiger-trade ban permanent. The aim of the coalition is to coordinate research, communications and awareness-raising efforts in order to provide an organized response to the illegal tiger trade.
Governments are getting involved - The Korean Pine, a key species found in Amur Tiger habitats, has just been given extra protection by the Russian government. Exports of its timber will now need permits, which will help control the illegal timber trade.
Still much more needs to be done...
Save Tigers Now Donations To Date $314.36
Total Letters For A Cause Donations $4474.54
Raise further awareness by adding an embroidery phrase to your clothing
- Save Tigers Now
- Save a Species
- Letters For A Cause
Resources
- http://www.worldwildlife.org/savetigersnow/index.html
- http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/tigers/tiger_initiative/
- http://www.kidsfortigers.org/savingtigers/threattotigers.php
- http://www.conservation.org/learn/biodiversity/species/profiles/tigers/Pages/threats.aspx
Click Here to learn more about Save The Tiger Fund
