Stalking Tiger. Free graphic from cksinfo.com

Ask a child to describe a tiger and they will explain what they’ve seen in movies, on television, or in a zoo; however, tigers are so much more than that. Nowadays, the only way most people experience a tiger’s presence is to visit a zoo, like the Metro Richmond Zoo in Chesterfield, Virginia.

Zoos play such an important role in the lives of children and the animals they care for; zoos give children the opportunity to see rare and endangered species up close while, at the same time, their wild counterparts may be experiencing declining populations.

Zoos benefit the animals within by educating the public on what obstacles animals in the wild face on a daily basis.

Tiger Facts

Tigers are one of the largest and most majestic species of big cats ever to roam the earth, yet their populations continue to decline at a rapid rate. Currently, the World Wildlife Fund estimates that the tiger’s overall population has dropped more than 95% since the start of the 20^th century.

There is no way to know exact numbers, but WWF estimates that population numbers are down from 100,000 to currently as few as 3,200 individual tigers worldwide. Patrick J. Kiger explores this issue in his National Geographic article, “Tigers in Crisis,” and comments that as recently as 70 years ago there were nine different subspecies of tigers roaming the territory stretching from eastern Turkey to Siberia. Today, however, three of those varieties—the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers—are extinct, and the remaining six—Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, South China, and Sumatran—are in very serious trouble.

Tigers are in danger of extinction due to the illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss and fragmentation resulting from illegal logging and commercial plantations, small diversity of prey due to overhunting, and human-tiger conflicts brought on by human encroachment.

The illegal wildlife trade buys and sells tiger pelts and bones for trophies and medicinal use. Mike and Peggy Briggs, coauthors of Wild Cats, provide details about how “tiger meat, said to taste of veal, is eaten in Malaya to ‘cure’ debility of the spleen or stomach. Elsewhere in Asia eating tiger parts is supposed to impart the creature’s courage and treat a multiplicity of ills. In Taiwan tiger ‘wine’ is made from the bones” (2011). Tigers now persist in less than 7% of their historic range. Wild Cats goes on to explain that “the most recent estimates mean there are more tigers in zoos and circuses around the world than there are in the wild” (2011).

Current Tiger Population

Much of the current tiger population is held in captivity in an effort to protect future numbers. Zoos and captivity programs allow scientists to do vital research concerning a tiger’s health, behavior, habits, and genetics. The research done in zoos directly helps scientists in the field track and observe tigers in the wild, better enabling a tiger conservation plan. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is “a non-profit 501c(3) organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation” and these AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums become leaders in the protection of endangered species. AZA established the Species Survival Plan Program (SSP) twenty years ago which includes “a long-term plan involving conservation breeding, habitat preservation, public education, field conservation, and supportive research to ensure survival for many of the planet’s threatened and endangered species.”

There are currently 116 SSPs working on behalf of 172 species.

The AZA Tiger SSP Tiger Conservation Campaign describes just how powerful a force zoos can be for tiger conservation. Tigers are one of the most popular zoo animals visitors come to see each year; this grants them the ultimate opportunity to engage people and raise both tiger awareness and funding for the cause. Zoos have various ways visitors can help tigers in the wild on their daily visit; for example, give a donation at a tiger-themed coin wishing well or in donation boxes located at gift shops or food concession stands.

It only takes one trip to the zoo, one afternoon may be enough to create the next animal ambassador; all it takes is the desire to see change and to educate those around you in the hopes that you inspire that change. Take a visit to your local zoo, the Metro Richmond Zoo, and see what efforts you can do to save tigers in the wild.

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