Saving Wild Tigers

The great news is that the 100,000 signature petition was completed a while ago, and WWF increased the target. Now they are hoping to grab 150,000 signatures from people who want to see the majestic tiger protected in the wild.

There is now only 6 days left before the Tiger Summit, so if you want to sign and add your voice, you need to be quick. As of today (November 14, 2010) we are approaching 120,000 signatures, so even if you have already signed, please pass the petition link to your friends and family, and let's have one last big push towards the 150,000 target. And thanks for your help!

There is a Tiger Summit during September 2010 (update: postponed until November), and the World Wildlife Fund is collecting signatures for its petition to get the governments to do something about the plight of the tiger. Their aim is to double tiger number in the next few years, and your signature can help make this a reality.

Sign the petition now.

As we approach the date of the International Tiger Summit, I received an email (October 18, 2010) from WWF:

Dear Neil

ILLEGAL TIGER TRADING SYNDICATE DISCOVERED

Sadly, I have some shocking news to share with you today.

With just a few weeks to go until the Heads of Government Tiger Summit takes place in Russia, poachers have been caught by police on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in possession of six tiger heads, five tiger pelts and seven kilogrammes of tiger bones, all thought to be headed for Malaysia. Worse still, one of the poachers admitted that the syndicate has traded tiger parts for more than three years, with as many as five packages a month passing over the border.

It's a devastating reminder of how vital it is to fight the deadly and illegal trade in tiger parts if we are to see the number of these beautiful animals recover. There are now only 3,200 tigers left in the wild. And so unless we step up anti-poaching patrols and protect vital habitat, they will become extinct in many parts of Asia.

Your signature on our Tiger Summit petition will send world leaders a very powerful message. After all, it'll show them how much we all care about the fate of the tiger and how much we support political action to protect them.

But I need to ask you to do a couple more things. The shocking discovery in Sumatra highlights just how essential it is that we get as many names onto our petition as possible. So please, take a few minutes to share this campaign with as many friends as you can. We've made it really easy for you to share on Facebook, Twitter or by email.

Thanks again for all your help, and please don't forget to share this message today.

(name removed)
Head of Species Programme

If you'd like to sign the petition, you can do it below.

Neep, Elliott
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Man's impact on wild tigers has been nothing short of catastrophic, and there have been and remain many reasons for dwindling populations of tigers in their natural range.

Hunting for sport across Asia and trapping for zoos in the last century accounted for many. One of the biggest threats today is still poaching, because of the use of tiger body parts in traditional Chinese medicine, especially for impotence.

Human population expansion into prime tiger habitats splits these regions into small pockets, which isolates them from each other, reducing the chances of breeding. Humans are also brought into closer contact with the animals - and therefore increasing the risk of tiger attack, and subsequent killing of the 'man-eater'.

Deforestation of the tiger's natural territory is also a problem, as these cats are stalking predators - in other words, they need cover from long grasses and other vegetation in order to hunt effectively.

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Thanks to Man's intervention, here is the current state of play concerning wild tiger sub-species:

• Bengal Tiger - below 2000 remaining
  
• Indochinese (or Corbett's) Tiger - several hundred remain
  
• Malayan Tiger - 600-800 left
  
• Sumatran Tiger - 400-500 remain
  
• Siberian (or Amur) Tiger - 450-500 left
  
• South China (or Amoy) Tiger - 1 sighting in 2007 (essentially extinct)
  

And unfortunately, that was the good news. Here's the bad:

• Balinese Tiger - gone forever 1937
  
• Javan Tiger - gone forever 1980s
  
• Caspian Tiger - gone forever 1950-60s
  

In the 1970s Project Tiger was initiated, and supported by the Indian government. There were early successes, but subsequently, entire reserves were 'cleansed' entirely of tigers by poachers.