natjtan Happy Belated International Tiger Day!*
It’s sad to think that the big cats who’ve inspired countless tales and characters from A.A. Milne’s Tigger, The Jungle Book’s Shere Khan, Aladdins Rajah to Frostie’s Tony the Tiger may soon disappear from the wild all together. Some tiger species are already extinct. Gone the same way as the Dodo.
According to tigerday.org in the last 100 years we’ve lost 97% of the worlds wild tigers. From 100,000 down to a few as 3000 in the wild. There are more tigers in captivity, zoos, private zoos, circuses and tiger farms. Yes, tiger farms, sadly supplying a pathetic black market that thinks tiger parts work magic making them super humans (aka dumb humans). Tiger magic is a proud tiger going about his tiger business.
Unfortunately these majestic wild cats business is under threat from habits loss, human wildlife conflict, poaching and climate change. In just 5 years, wild tigers could be extinct. The WWF is working to double the the number of wild tiger by 2022. Find out here how they’re hoping to achieve this through conservation and education projects and how you can help.
This guy may be in a zoo, on it’s ownsome, I wish their enclosure was bigger and I’m not sure if they’re a lucky or unlucky one, (or a boy or girl hence the pronouns switches!), but they’re majestic in every way. His keepers work at keeping her/him stimulationed, their tiger senses sharp and for the most part s/he seems content. Apart from feeding and bedtime pacing like a house cat. Ha! He’s also love photo ops when he’s in the mood and loves to play hide and seek with the cameras. Barcelona Zoo’s Sumatran tiger!
What’s your favourite big cat? How do you think we can save the tigers, rhinos, elephants and many other animals on the threatened and vulnerable list from extinction?
*I started writing this last night on WordPress’s app, great for short posts but unfortunately feel asleep while writing it. I kid you not!
Oh this is such an important post.
Thank you. They’re just one of many reason why I do my best to avoid buying products with palm oil in. To loose these magnificent cats will be a very sad day.
You can cheer on tigers as well as enjoy world ice cream month!
I feel so shallow. I was enjoying World Ice Cream month. Its a shame about the status of these fierce big cats. It appears their unique beauty will be there own demise.