Tigers-Jennifer D'Addabbo

Extinction is Forever. 

"Hello, can you stop taking my home please? Thanks."
Obtained from: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/content/dam/kids/photos/articles/Nature/Q-Z/siberian-tiger-profile.jpg

By: Jennifer D'Addabbo

Published Nov. 29, 2016
        
       Every once in a while I’ll close my eyes and imagine my future. I’m sure we’ve all done this. I like to fantasize as far as 60 or so years even, where I’ll be relaxing on some couch surrounded by grandchildren all snuggled up to me while I read them a picture book. On one of the pages, there is a catlike creature with silky orange fur and black stripes spread along its body. What’s troubling though, is that during one of my readings, a grandchild might point to that beast and ask: “What’s that?” 
       I hope it’s unsettling to you all that one day that could be our reality. Future generations of children may never see the beauty of a tiger, the hugeness of an elephant, or the strength of a rhinoceros. We’ve grown up with the idea that these animals will last forever. However, that’s not always the case. Animals can really go extinct and extinction is forever. That’s the hard cold truth.
        One animal in particular will likely die off within a couple decades and that’s the tiger, or scientifically known as, Panthera tigris. Unfortunately, there are only about 3,890 tigers left globally (World Wildlife Fund., 2016). This number doesn’t appear to be too bad at first, but put it into perspective: Less than two decades ago, in 1998, there were between 5,000-7,000 tigers (IUCN Red List, 2016). If we compare that amount, with what’s left today, we’ve somehow managed to kill around 2,000 tigers in such a short period of time. The population is still decreasing too. Hence, these animals are listed as Endangered according to the IUCN Red List ever since 1986.               

"Don't even think about taking my babies."
Obtained from: https://c2.staticflickr.com
/8/7147/6806329993_b166e5d661_b.jpg   

        One reason for that status is that in order to live happily, tigers require big spaces during their average of 26 years on Earth. These carnivorous animals weigh between 220 to 660 pounds and are four to six feet long. They need vast living spaces to hunt their prey based on the availability of it. It is a major habitat requirement. Deer and wild pigs primarily make up the bulk of their diet so there needs to be large populations of these animals near the tiger's habitat. They need to kill 50-60 large prey per year (IUCN Red List, 2016). Additionally, tigers are K-selected species, so they will have on average two to three cubs produced every two years, and will need space for those offspring. The offspring don’t leave their birth place soon either. They gain independence at age two and become sexually mature between the ages three and four (World Wildlife Fund., 2016). Tigers usually are located in areas like tropical rainforests, evergreen forests, temperate forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands, and savannas.

Leading Threats 

   According to the World Wildlife Fund., populations of tigers once were widely spread across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia. They have lost 93% of that historical range though, due to habitat degradation mainly caused by us. We clear forests for our agricultural needs, our demand for timber, and our desire to build more roads. Now they are forced to inhabit restricted areas in Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Bhutan, and Bangladesh as pictured below.

Taken from: https://suzanneyork.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/shrinking-tiger-land.gif        

     Moreover, as their habitats shrink, prey becomes scarce, pushing tigers out of their range to hunt livestock. In anger, the community kills the tiger or captures it to sell on the black market. Tigers also are at risk of inbreeding due to their habitat being fragmented by roads. This leads to less genetic diversity, causing them to be more susceptible to disease. Poaching is another prominent threat. All parts of the tiger are sold. Their parts are sold in the illegal trade market often for folk remedies, traditional medicines, and as a status symbol in certain Asian cultures. They like to use the bones of tigers especially, as the bones are said to have anti-inflammatory properties (World Wildlife Fund., 2016).
        If we rid the world of all the tigers, all that will be left of them will be stories and distant legends. When I was younger, I loved seeing a tiger at the zoo. I can't imagine future generations of children never experiencing the same thing. However, we have the power to fix this now! If we sit and do nothing, believing that the problem will fix itself, then they really will disappear!

So, what is already being done and what can we do? 

        The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service already protects the tiger under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is an agreement between 175 nations that prevents international trade of the tiger so their survival is not threatened. To further ensure their protection, on November 2010, in Russia, a “tiger summit” was held with the 13 Tiger Range Countries. There, they adopted a Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP). The goal of this plan is to double the number of wild tigers by 2022 through these actions:  

Obtained from:
https://friendsforfairtrade.files.wordpress.com
/2015/02/fsc-logo-transparent-background-v2.gif

     1. Putting an end to poaching,             smuggling, and illegal trading of tigers and their parts. 
2. Collaborating with trans-boundary   landscape management to further combat the illegal trade.
3. Working with local and indigenous communities to protect tigers. 
4. Increasing the effectiveness of habitat management for tigers. 
5. Preserving, managing, protecting, and enhancing tiger habitats. 
6. Restoring tigers to their historic ranges.

        Additionally, they want to try to reintroduce time populations to some areas that don’t have known tiger breeding populations, but have a suitable environment for them with lots of space. To help the tigers, it is our job to switch to forest-friendly products to save the forest and preserve the tigers’ habitat. Forests are key for their survival. Look for products with this FSC label:

For more information please visit: https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=865&_ga=1.84855001.1762796723.1477786584

And as always, you can also donate to the World Wildlife Fund here:

https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Tiger.aspx?sc=AWY1505WC920&_ga=1.22414203.1762796723.1477786584

While donations seem like a pointless effort, it is not and directly goes to the protection for these magnificent animals. Let's have our grandchildren one day point to that animal in the picture book and say, "I know what that is!" Extinction is forever. Let's not have tigers be a victim forever.

Works Cited 

Goodrich, J., Lynam, A., Miquelle, D., Wibisono, H., Kawanishi, K., Pattanavibool, A., Htun, S., Tempa, T., Karki, J., Jhala,

           Y. & Karanth, U. 2015.  Panthera tigris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T15955A50659951.                    

            http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T15955A50659951.en. Downloaded on 12 November 2016.

"Tiger." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, 2016. Web. 21 Nov. 2016<http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger>.   

"Tigers." U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016     

           <https://www.fws.gov/international/animals/tigers.html>.          

Pictures obtained from:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/content/dam/kids/photos/articles/Nature/Q-Z/siberian-tiger-profile.jpg 

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7147/6806329993_b166e5d661_b.jpg 

https://suzanneyork.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/shrinking-tiger-land.gif

https://friendsforfairtrade.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/fsc-logo-transparent-background-v2.gif