This past Sunday marked Global Tiger Day. Every year on the 29th of July, this special day is celebrated to create awareness about tiger conservation.
The numbers of tigers in the wild has steadily been decreasing in the past few decades due to poaching, urbanization, and climate change. As of 2009, it is believed that there were less than 3,500 tigers left in the wild.
Thankfully, because of concentrated conservation efforts, the numbers of tigers appeared to increase to around 3,200 by 2016. According to the WWF website, “This announcement came six years into the Tx2 initiative, a global collaboration among 13 tiger range country governments and international organizations that had committed in 2010 to doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022. The new estimates indicated that the Tx2 approach—protecting critical tiger habitat, fighting poaching, and improving our data on tigers—were working. With six years left in the initiative, the future looked challenging, but cautiously optimistic.”
There is still work to be done. A team from 11 conservation organizations and tiger range governments conducted a rapid assessment of site-based tiger conservation across Asia. Unfortunately, this survey found that only 13% of the conservation areas reviewed met global standards, and at least one-third were at serious risk of losing their tigers due to lack of anti-poaching resources.
Together, we can raise awareness and help the plight of tigers in the wild. Head on over to the Stop Poaching Now! website to find out how to help.
