SAVE THEM ALL: This is the Year of the Tiger, in the Chinese zodiac and in conservation. This Endangered All Star is waiting on us to make a commitment but cannot wait any longer: Perhaps as few as 1500 survive in the wild. The World Bank and the Global Environment Facility have launched a global initiative to save the species, and WWF is making the tiger a top priority this year. That’s a good start, but we need to see a long term and consistent program for tiger protection.
Hopefully, the governments of India and China will wake up to this urgent need. In recent years, India has failed to support its once-great system of tiger reserves with appropriate funding for rangers and law enforcement; China has failed to stem the illegal trade in tiger parts. Belinda Wright, head of Wildlife Protection Society of India and a tireless campaigner against the poaching trade, recently issued a direct plea: “If China continues to ignore this growing international pressure, then I believe we will have lost the battle to save the tiger.” We cannot lose the tiger: Ecologically, aesthetically, morally, the tiger is essential to the world and the wild.
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