Tigers in peril
Just read this on an Aussie news site. If it is something to go by, then people better go soon to photograph these endearing big cats. :( We can live in hope that things will turn around though. :)
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/co...122-183tc.html
Until and unless China stops buying big cat boy parts , We are going to loose big cats , Tiger may be first but we will loose them all :(
Do you realize how many animals would still be alive today if the the Chicoms would use Viagra instead of Rhino horns and Tiger parts for aphrodisiacs.
Well said Rod and these guys don't understand that poor Tiger male can not withstand for more than 7-8 secs :pOriginally Posted by Rod Wiley
Rod and Harsha.. You two have put it in nice way :p hope this message reaches the right ears.:confused:
Maybe a step in the right direction.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/11...t-save-tigers/
For those in the U.S. here's an email campaign to government officials through the Wildlife Conservation Society:
https://secure3.convio.net/wcs/site/...utmk=161020093
Tigers in peril
This aspect of Chinese culture is anathema to me. I am not anti-Chinese (married to one). But, they have few ethics where wildlife is concerned. In fact, the more endangered a specie, and the more expensive it becomes, the more status is gained from eating it or consuming it in some other way. If you serve shark fin soup at your child's wedding, you have shown your status as a wealthy and worthy human. 90% of the world's sharks have been lost in the last 20 years, mostly due to removing a hooked shark's dorsal fin and throwing it back. Cocos Island, off of Costa Rica was one of the last refuges for sharks. There is a 12 mile fishing exclusion zone around the island, but we see long lines on the bottom within a mile of shore. The park rangers are under the threat of death if they even think of enforcing the law, and bribed if they do not. There are dozens of Taiwanese(NOT CHICOM) fishing boats totally ignoring the ban, and long lining for sharks wherever they want.
There are fewer than 300 Amur (Siberian) Tigers left in the wild. Much of their native range now looks like a moonscape secondary to the insatiable Chinese demand for wood products. The pelt alone of an Amur Tiger is worth over $10,000, a fortune to any Siberian poacher. Their chance of survival is zero.
This is not mainly a political, but a cultural and economic issue. The Taiwanese have more disposable income than mainland Chinese, and are worse offenders.
What recourse do we have? Will we stop buying Chinese products? Will we stop borrowing money from them? The brutal fact is that we are in a position of incredible weakness, and will have to watch much worse than this helplessly in the very near future.
I think all we gotta tell the Chinese or any who use the product is that consuming these products will render them impotent and watch this space! :cool: Education is crucial but how do you change the culture that has probably been like that for centuries?
It is always to easy to blame the Chinese for almost everything.
The main factor in the decreasing Tiger populations is the overwhelming increase in population in the areas where it lives, in India the parks have been badly run and management are not entirely innocent.
BTW Numbers of Tiger in Russia are actually increasing, in spite of the close presence of China
Poaching is one aspect that impacts the population of tigers. Controlling the demand from the Chinese may not be in our hands. However, it is important to do the other things right. The level of protection is a big issue. Most of our sanctuaries, national parks and tiger reserves have number of posts vacant. The people who are in service are old, pay is meagre and so is the level of motivation.
Most of our major wildlife sanctuaries have become cutoff from each other ie. contiguity between our wilderness areas have been lost due to growth in human settlements, or submergence due to construction of dams, canals etc. This results in a closed gene pool (read inbreeding). That is very dangerous, as it impacts the survival of the species in the longer term.
Trying to expose poaching networks is comparatively easier when compared to recreating corridors between our wilderness areas.
Sabyasachi
Here is the result of the recent summit , bearing in mind it is in the UK Guardian, it is quite positive.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...vladimir-putin
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