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Conservation Issues
c. Illegal killing is difficult to control. Poaching networks are well organized, and countries in which tigers live often don't have the resources to hire, equip, and train law enforcement officers.
2. Loss of habitat.
a. Tigers are losing habitat due to the needs of Asia's rapidly growing human population. In India alone, the human population has increased by nearly 50% since 1973, and the total population in 1995 is estimated to be about 931 million. (4, 17)
b. Prime tiger habitat, such as forests and grasslands, are being converted to agriculture and settlements. Between 1980 and 1990 in Asia, about 470,000 square km (181,467 square mi.) of moist forest were destroyed. Deforestation is predicted to continue at a rate of 47,000 square km (18,147 square mi.) per year. (4)
c. Tiger habitat is also declining due to intrusion of grazing domestic livestock, collection of wood for fuel and building materials, and mining. These activities are often done illegally in tiger reserves.
d. Tigers need large, interconnected tracts of suitable habitat to maintain healthy breeding populations. Because they won't cross open land, the conversion of their habitat causes populations to become isolated from one another. In smaller, isolated populations, related tigers tend to mate, causing genetic inbreeding. In addition, competition for resources and mates is increased, which may lead to more aggressive, fatal encounters between tigers. (2, Sunquist, pers. conv., 1995)
A. Challenges
1. Illegal killing, or poaching
a. Tigers have been legally protected from hunting in all countries of their range,
except Burma, since the late 1970s.
b. Tigers are illegally shot and poisoned mainly for two reasons: their threat (or
perceived threat) to domestic wildlife or people, and most commonly, for monetary gain.
(4)
(1) In the past, tigers were poached primarily for furs. Though furs are still sold
illegally, their market has been reduced due to public campaigns against furs and
international trade controls.
(2) Currently, tigers are poached mainly for their bones and other body parts. Tiger
bones, which are relatively easy to smuggle, are used primarily by the Chinese in a
variety of medicinal products.
(3) Because tigers in China have been virtually exterminated, tigers in other countries are heavily poached to meet the demand for bones. Deer and other prey items are also poached, which reduces the tiger's food supply.
3. In the U.S., several steps have been taken to help conserve tigers and their habitat.
a. In addition to CITES, tigers and their parts are protected under the Endangered Species Act. All subspecies of tiger have been listed as endangered since 1972.
b. The U.S. also passed The Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994. This Act provides funds for the conservation programs of nations in which tigers live.
c. Trade sanctions against Taiwan (from 1994 to 1995) prompted that government to take significant steps toward stemming the illegal trade of tiger parts in their country.
d. In 1995, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Exxon Corporation formed the Save the Tiger Fund. The Fund is managed by NFWF and supported by Exxon, which plans to donate up to five million dollars over the next five years. The Fund will be used to support conservation projects in the wild, as well as captive breeding and education programs throughout the world.
4. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)/ World Conservation Union, a worldwide conservation organization, is currently working to coordinate tiger management and research efforts through its Cat Specialist Group. This group works under the guidance of the IUCN/World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission.
B. International tiger conservation efforts
1. In 1973, with the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), India launched Project
Tiger, a program designed to save tiger habitat. By 1990, 17 tiger reserves had been
established. Other nations, such as Nepal, Thailand, and Indonesia followed suit, creating
or enhancing their own tiger reserves. Russia had earlier adopted its own conservation
measures. (2)
2. In 1976, the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) voted to regulate the international trade of
tigers and their parts.
a. Tigers are considered endangered and listed
under CITES Appendix I. Permits may be issued for trade, but only under exceptional
circumstances. (2)
b. During the 1994 CITES meeting, the members of CITES, including China, India,
Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand adopted an
agreement to improve and expand tiger protection. Specifically, the parties agreed to
enact internal tiger trade bans; enhance border controls and the sharing of illegal trade
information; and increase funding for antipoaching, field conservation, and public
education programs.
c. As a result of the 1994 meeting, China recently signed as agreement with India to cooperate closely on tiger law enforcement efforts. China previously banned the trade and sale of tiger bone and derivatives in 1993. (11)
1. Tigers are important biologically to maintain the overall health of an ecosystem. As a top predator of the food chain, tigers help keep prey populations in check.
2. Tigers also have cultural importance. Tigers have symbolized beauty, power, and fierceness for over 5,000 years. In Asia, tigers have been identified with gods and considered conquerors of evil. Ironically, the belief that tigers hold great power, even in their bones, is leading to their decline.
3. Large, familiar animals such as tigers are often times the species that act as mediating elements, generating funds and action for habitat preservation. The loss of these symbolic cats could lead to a decline of support in maintaining their ecosystems, and consequently, all of the other plant and animal species that share it.
C. Biological and cultural values
2. Providing practical alternatives to local agricultural practices can improve living conditions and help preserve habitat.
a. For example, a private foundation in India is providing high-grade cattle to local citizens. These cattle improve local breeds, and can be stall-fed rather than pasture grazed. (2)
b. Villagers are also learning how to use cattle dung for fuel, which may eventually reduce the demand for wood. (16)
c. Improved living conditions may lessen the temptation of local hunters to supplement their incomes through poaching. (12)
3. Properly managed wildlife tourism promotes both education and conservation opportunities. Tours through reserves help to educate locals and tourists. Tourism also generates revenue for the reserve and jobs for local citizens.
4. Research on tigers in the wild and in captivity enables regulators to make informed, rational decisions regarding species conservation and management plans.
5. Worldwide education can promote the general public's awareness of and sensitivity to the plight of tigers.
D. Education
1. Educating local peoples on the need and benefits of conservation,
and making them part of the management process are important steps in saving tigers and
their habitat.
a. For instance, villagers and government officials in Chitwan, Nepal, are working
together to preserve tall grasses. These valuable grasses are used in home building, and
have been overharvested outside the tiger reserve. By helping to conserve tall grasses in
the preserve, the villagers are ensured a continual supply of grasses, which they are
allowed to harvest once a year. (5)
b. In areas of India, villagers are being taught how to conserve and rehabilitate their own overgrazed and eroded farmlands, which reduces exploitation of surrounding reserves. Villagers are also being educated on the importance of preserving large tracts of natural habitat for soil and water conservation. (2, 5)
E. Role of zoological parks
1. Having tigers at zoological parks, like Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, provides an
opportunity for the public to observe and learn about these endangered animals and how
human activities threaten their survival.
2. In the protected environment of zoological parks, scientists can examine aspects of
tiger biology that are difficult to study in the wild.
3. Managed captive breeding programs increase overall tiger numbers and provide the genetic variability that can potentially be used to reduce inbreeding in isolated wild populations. Well-managed programs are essential to the survival of all tiger subspecies given the limited space available in zoological parks and wildlife reserves.
