Celebrating Global Tiger Day
Today is the 10th Annual Global Tiger Day. We celebrate the world’s largest and arguably one of the most popular animal in the world. On this day we rededicate ourselves to working for the survival of the tiger. Over the last 10 years , there have been many positive changes yet we are still in danger of losing the tigers in Southeast Asia.
The State Of The Big Cat Today
The tiger is one of the most iconic animals on earth, but the largest of the big cats is on the brink of extinction. The Tiger is globally listed as “Endangered” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Two of the remaining sub-species — Malayan and Sumatran — are “Critically Endangered.” As recently as 100 years ago, as many as 100,000 wild tigers roamed across Asia. Today, about 3,900 tigers are left in the wild, occupying a mere four percent of their former range. This catastrophic population decline is driven by a range of threats, including poaching for the illegal wildlife trade, overhunting of prey species by local people, habitat loss and fragmentation, and human-tiger conflict.
A triumph for Tigers in western Thailand
Panthera in partnership with Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), document new tigers in a region of western Thailand for the first time in four years.
Not only is this great news for tigers in Thailand, these cats gave the scientists some of the most spectacular footage many had seen in their entire careers. This area is adjacent to the largest remaining and second known breeding population of Indochinese tigers in the world. However, tiger densities from this study area are currently so low they cannot be estimated, highlighting the fragility of the population and the significance of the latest tiger sightings.
New Thailand Tiger Footage
global tiger day and Panthera
Chief of the Wildlife Research Division for DNP, Dr. Saksit Simcharoen stated, “These sightings are extremely encouraging for the future of tigers in our country and beyond. Our rangers and partners at Panthera and ZSL are keenly monitoring the region to determine if these individuals establish territories, ultimately helping to achieve Thailand’s goal of increasing tiger populations by 50% by 2022.”
Dr. Simcharoen continued, “These tigers are in a precarious situation. Sustained and stronger protection of this area from poaching activity of any kind is the key to ensuring these individuals live on, helping Thailand’s tigers to rebound.”
Tiger densities from the current study area are currently so low they cannot be estimated reliably, highlighting the fragility of the population and the significance of the latest tiger sightings.
Panthera Chief Scientist and Tiger Program Director, Dr. John Goodrich, stated, “In a sea of news casting doubt on the future of our planet’s wildlife, this development is a welcome sign of hope and potential turning of the tide for the Endangered tiger in Thailand.”
Goodrich continued, “These tigers’ repeated detections in new areas suggests suitable habitat and prey exists for this small but significant population. All to say that our collaborative conservation efforts are paying off at a time when the species needs it the most.”
Along with tiger and prey population monitoring, Panthera’s conservation efforts in the landscape include antipoaching ranger trainings, support of the DNP in wildlife crime investigations and use of Panthera PoacherCams – the world’s first camera to automatically distinguish between people and animals and alert law enforcement of poacher presence in real-time.
We can’t stop now! THe Tiniest Tiger Donates To Panthera!
Despite the good news and signs of hope, tigers are still in trouble across the continent. Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, in partnership with DNP and ZSL, has supported conservation efforts through its Tigers Forever program in western Thailand over the past decade, aiding tiger population growth and dispersal in the rich forests of western Thailand. The Tiniest Tiger community is proud to have made an additional donation to Panthera’s Tigers Forever Program for the purchase of an additional PoacherCam.
why we do what we do
This donation was made thanks to your continued support of Triple T Studios.