Concerns Over the Endangered Tiger Population
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-12-12/concerns-over-endangered-tiger-population
The world tiger population has declined from about 8,000 in the 1980s to fewer than 3,000 today. Global urbanization has diminished the tiger’s habitat to 5% - 7% of what it once was. Tigers roam 13 Asian countries looking for prey that in many cases is owned or poached by human neighbors. Demand for tiger skin and bone in Chinese black markets drives hunters to kill the big cats. Millions of dollars raised by conservation agencies worldwide hasn’t succeeded in stopping the tiger’s demise. Diane and her guests explore why tigers are disappearing and what can be done to save them.
Guests
Alan Rabinowitz
zoologist, wildlife ecologist, chief executive officer of Panthera, a wild cat conservation group; author of “Life in the Valley of Death: The Fight to Save Tigers in a Land of Guns, Gold, and Greed”
Caroline Alexander
author and contributing writer, National Geographic magazine
Herb Raffaele
chief, division of international conservation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Program Highlights
Tigers are disappearing from the earth at an alarming rate. Fewer than 3,000 remain in the wild. So far, conservation efforts have largely failed to save the big cat. New approaches focus more on scientific study of existing tiger populations, and working with governments to crack down on illegal hunting.
Only About 3,000 Tigers Left
Tigers are especially vulnerable to attack because they're valuable, said Panthera's Alan Rabinowitz. "Tigers dead are much more valuable to local people than alive, and it's tied into the Asian medicinal trade. It's tied into many other facts, primarily the medicinal trade," Rabinowitz said. Some Chinese people believe that tiger parts provide a cure for many different illnesses, and that they can make a man more virile. And as tigers get even rarer in the wild, they become even more valuable.
"Tigers Are In The Emergency Room"
Tigers are bleeding out right now, Rabinowitz said. "We have to focus our resources on stopping the bleeding, and that means law enforcement, that means making sure that there's abundant prey for tigers, people are not killing tigers, people are not killing tigers' prey," he said. Currently, people are destroying much of the tigers' natural habitat, as well as tigers' natural prey, which is crowding and starving them.
"Haunted By The Challenge" Of Writing About Extinction
"The challenge of trying to convey the potency of absence is unlike anything else I can think of," Caroline Alexander said. Tigers are no longer just rare animals - they've been threatened for a long time, and now the threat is perilous, she said.
The Role Of The U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service
Though the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is primarily a domestic agency, it does have international mandates. The Endangered Species Act refers to endangered species not just in the United States, but all over the world. "We can't have too much law enforcement," Herb Raffaele of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. "Every site that has tigers, if it is not properly controlled, they end up being poached practically everywhere," Raffaele said.
You can read the full transcript here.
Related Images
Images courtesy of National Geographic, from the December 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine.
Comments
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Tigers, "they are territorial and generally solitary but social animals, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey requirements. This, coupled with the fact that they are indigenous to some of the more densely populated places on earth, has caused significant conflicts with humans."-Wikipedia Tiger
"In addition, male tigers have wider forepaw pads than females. Biologists use this difference to determine gender based on tiger tracks.[18] The skull of the tiger is very similar to that of the lion, though the frontal region is usually not as depressed or flattened, with a slightly longer postorbital region. The skull of a lion has broader nasal openings. However, due to the amount of skull variation in the two species, usually, only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator of species.[19]"-Ibidem
"Tigers are strong swimmers, and are often found bathing in ponds, lakes, and rivers. During the extreme heat of the day, they often cool off in pools."-Ibid.
"Radio collaring has also been a popular approach to tracking them for study in the wild."-Ibid.
"Like many predators, they are opportunistic and will eat much smaller prey, such as monkeys, peafowls, hares, and fish."-Ibid.
"They generally hunt alone and ambush their prey as most other cats do, overpowering them from any angle, using their body size and strength to knock large prey off balance. "-Ibid.
"According to government estimates of national tiger populations, the subspecies population numbers around a total of 350 individuals.[1] All existing populations are at extreme risk from poaching, prey depletion due to poaching of deer and wild pigs, habitat fragmentation and inbreeding. In 2009 the last known wild Indochinese tiger in China was killed and eaten by nearby villagers from the village of Mengla.[6]
In Vietnam, almost three-quarters of the tigers killed provide stock for Chinese pharmacies. Tigers are seen by poor natives as a resource through which they can ease poverty.
The tiger's numbers will be difficult to increase unless residents can view a live tiger as more valuable than a dead one. Some are starting to realize this and are hoping to use the tiger as a draw for ecotourism."-Indochinese tiger Wikipedia
For Dr. Rabinowitz
Of all your books I've read, Jaguar, your first, is still my favorite. It's an adventure story; made me not want to work in the jungle. I read it while starting my freshman year at University of Montana towards a Wildlife Biology degree.
Q: Dr. Rabinowitz - Could you also provide some information on the current population status of the Amur leopard subspecies; and pitch the Small Cat Conservation Alliance and that many small cat species are also endangered.
Also, is the IUCN Cat Specialist Group planning on publishing an updated Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, 1996?
Thank you,
John F Wagenknecht
Endangered species are primarily a real estate problem. The three most important factors in saving depleted animal populations are: Habitat, habitat and habitat. Because large reserves have not been set aside, because the overpopulation of humans is always encroaching and because climate change ruins many wilds and parks it will be impossible to protect many varied species.
This romantic notion of saving attractive specimens is essentially a conceit of the self-obsessed and silly upper income world elite who can never concede how their atrocious habits and poor example have doomed the natural Creation on this planet. Tigers should have never been imprisoned like bugs in a jar. We fool ourselves to think we can in any way duplicate, synthesize or substitute for the planet that made us. It's ridiculous to think that a smidgen of the bitter fruits of corporate and command economy capitalism would be sufficient to mitigate the obliteration of long evolved ecosysytems and niches we do not yet fully understand. Zoological science today is rushing to record the particulars of wildlife in the same way that the cultures and languages of exterminated subject peoples were jotted down in the 19th Century. What psychological quirk makes humanity obsess over the scattered remnants of our victims? Is it because we understand subconsciously that we are condemned to a similar fate? How will your head look mounted on the wall or your hide on the floor?
Dr. Rabinowitz:
I have lived both in Siberia and presently on the edge of the Florida Everglades and have closely followed the fate of endangered big cat species such as the Amur Tiger and Florida Panther. I have often wondered thinking outside of the box whether it might be possible to at least experiment with the idea of transplanting several members of the Amur/Siberian Tiger population to a similar ecological environment in the Southern Alaska to Northern British Columbia region of North America? This region is very lowly populated by people and those that do live there could actually benefit from ecotourism generated by the presence of tigers in the wild (instead of competing with them or worse as humans are pressured to do in Asia.)
The tigers pose very little threat if any in terms of unintended “invasive species” risks—they reproduce very slowly and each individual could be monitored by radio collar. I see a lot of upside in such an attempt and relatively little downside. Has anyone considered such a radical effort (instead of trying battle human encroachment in their native environment?) What do you think of such an idea is it worth pursuing?
I took my daughters on a Girl Scout field trip to a tiger sanctuary in Missouri last year. In the gift shop I noticed there was no book about saving tigers in the wild, so I wrote one for children. I sent it to several publishers but haven't yet gotten it published. Does anyone have any ideas for educating children to help in this effort? Where should I try to get this published? Thanks for having this topic on your show!
Why do we need to ask the question "why do we need tigers" ?
The pictures are absolutely gorgeous.
Great guests.
If you want people to not hunt tigers to extinction, have people own them. Ownership will ensure that the people who have an economic interest in poaching will be counteracted by other people who now have an economic interest in preserving their property. For example, there is no shortage of beef cattle.
Another significant example that proves we, as human beings are greedy, selfish, ignorance and heartless. I don't think I am generalizing when I make that simple statement, and I am eager to know if anyone can prove me wrong. My heart sank deeply with sadness for the tigers as I read, hear, listen more about them. What can we do about the Chinese's black market that demands dead tigers for medicinal purposes? How far will they go in order to "produce" medicinal products to "prolong, improve" human lives? I just don't understand! I am so angry!
Sad that there must be a direct relationship between the Earth's human population and the demise of diverse wildlife. As stewards of this planet we are failing miserably. Not only are the majority of the Midwest's Oak Hickory forests gone, but so are the majority of the area's natural inhabitants. Americans fight over $2 waffle irons and don't give a second thought to the hundreds of thousands of people we displace by our constant warfare. The tiger may well become a metaphor for our failure to see the bigger picture. A sad legacy for a people touting to be so religious - yet completely lacking any degree of spirituality.....
Sadly, regarding tigers, or other endangered animals and habitats, or the entire planet in terms of human causes of global climate change, or any other global problem you can name (law enforcement in big cities was mentioned), we know how to fix it, but we are not willing to devote the political will and money to accomplish the goal. It's pathetic, no, tragic, and a sad commentary on the majority of the human race which uses up everything with no interest in 'pay back'. We are the species which destroys itself. What make me so sad is that we are taking all the other species down and out with us. Kudos to your guests who are still trying. (I am a huge fan of Rabinowicz and a supporter of Panthera.)
Why so squemish? We raise cows for food, why not dogs, pigs, or tigers?
On every presentation on tigers, "traditional medicines" are used as an excuse to destroy tigers for their penis and bones. If there are so many Chinese or other Asians suffering with erectile dysfunction, spend funds for shipments of Viagra or other meds to treat this epidemic.
The same thing also plays into destruction of rhinos. Send Viagra!!!
It is going to be a very sad, sad day when we have a world with no wild tigers in it.
What about impacting the problem at its source by putting pressure on the Chinese government to make more available to its population the pharmaceuticals that westerners use to improve their sexual effectiveness: Viagra, Cialis, testosterones and the like.
I think your absolutely crazy worrying about these tigers. I am a disabled man living below the poverty rate. I have three children and an ex wife with cancer. One of your guest seems awful upset about the lack of resources. I am very happy for every resource I have, however when some one is asking for more resources for an animal that is half way around the world, I think it is foolishness.
Joan StLouis: Why not self-publish your book? It isn't that expensive anymore thanks to digital tools. Under tutelage of self-published author and DIY guru Robert Williams I have created several limited edition keepsakes and sold my more popular writings on the web.(pseudonym) Writing success depends less on merits than contacts and promotion (as you might notice from radio interviewees). Get a sample product made and if you believe in it go in person and try to sell it at a nature preserve gift shop or museum. They might let you leave some on consignment. If successful a marketing website might be justified. Let your most honest close friends be your critics and editors. My books are in the Library of Congress because I registered for ISBN numbers and sent the books to them at my expense. The "local collection" in your public library may also want to shelve your work for the historical record. If your Tiger book shows promise please keep writing because your children will be glad you did, as may many others. Best wishes, Grady Lee Howard. Creativity is a good thing in itself.
Lynn Hoffman wants to provide erectile drugs to the world's most populous, most polluting nation, gratis. What is wrong with that? Better yet, give Tom Tigers some Viagra.
Thomas Am: I am appalled you have no appropriate opportunities to earn your way. (in addition to meager benefits) Tiger protection amounts to vanity for most vocal advocates, but some researchers are sincerely curious I suppose. It is funny to think of Tigers as "Canaries in a coal mine" but they are. It is a little late to save them considering polar bears are drowning and fish stocks are collapsing. It makes me cry when Jane Goodall presents the Chimpanzee demise because they are essentially human. I try to help my neighbors.
If you need an ear please contact me at beretco.op@hotmail.com
Then if you want we can write and talk on the phone.
I am always seeking collaborators in my documentary video project.
...stud: Owning of large predatory fauna is subject to many of the same problems as owning human chattel slaves. Notice what happens when private zoos are liberated. (Google Roy Horn) We are approaching a time when the generalized and industrial breeding and eating of bovine steers will no longer be feasible. Spongiform brain prions are not under control, and remain prevalent in wild deer populations. The Japanese insist that spinal cords and brains from our beef not enter their ports. These may go into pet food, deli-grinds and hot dogs here.
But then again, some ambitious men measure all things by bank account, and expect wealth to buy health. Even tigers get sick.
I saw a beautiful documentary about the Indian tiger that is well worth watching. It made me tear up as it is a beautiful but sad story of a tigers journey in India. Type in Broken Tail the tiger on your search engine and you should find it right away.
Sadly I feel in my lifetime I won't be surprised to see the Sumatran Rhino, Mountain Gorilla, or the Tiger become extinct. The numbers are so low and the human impact so great. How do you teach people in poverty not to kill tigers for money? Would you not do this if your family was starving? Poor communities lack the education to understand what is happening to these animals and can't grasp that one day they may never share their world with a tiger again. The solution starts with the people who live with the animals.
At Thomas, Almost every sentence you write begins with "I". Think about that and remember you share this world with more than just yourself and your family. Keep in mind that every being in the world impacts each other and as crazy as it sound if we loose the tiger we loose part of our ecosystem. Every creature plays a part in why the earth works and westernized/industrialized humans are just barely understanding this. No one wishes for you to suffer just as no one wishes for a tiger to disappear. When one species dies it will have a domino effect on other living things like plants, insects and other animals. That domino will eventually fall on us and it's not going to be positive.
Your guests noted that tigers are tracked by GPS satellite technology in remote areas. Is it possible that poachers could use this knowlege to hunt them?
The picture of the tiger in the cage is sickening and distressing.
Has anyone seen info on how public could help tigers? If so, please post.
Has anyone seen info on how public could help tigers? If so, please post.
Diane another very good show, unfortunately I only caught the last half of it. Something that really bothered me was the ridicule blast Caroline got off on the caller who asked (a legitimate question imo) about the possibility of a 1% hunt of the tiger population etc. I didn't see any need for her to call it a perverse idea w/the tone she used. She could have got her point across w/out personally calling the guy out. I can't imagine her being very effective w/this cause if that is the way she deals w/people, especially people she wants to win over to her way of thinking. I know after I heard that I immediately disregarded anything she had to say. Marc
PS How about this: The population is already too low to kill........ and it would be more effective to change cultural...... etc. Notice I said essentially the same thing w/out the blast.
First. To the gentleman who wrote that we should own tigers. Are you familiar with the species? They are carnivores, they are predators. They are hunters and we are low man on the totem pole, no matter how "socialized" you think you have made any big cat, including Tigers. I have spent the last few years traveling the country talking to people, fighting to STOP private ownership of these large, beautiful creatures. Tigers in their natural state are in peril, tigers in captivity are in peril as well but for different reasons. They are bought, traded, and bred for our ridiculous need to "help", have a Exotic pet, or whatever other frivolous need you can think of that leads to a large animal being mistreated, malnourished, and kept in a un-satisfactory way.
As for those who do not understand why we need to save the tiger? ok, really? I cannot believe that question is actually even being raised. Every animal, plant, and living thing on this planet is here for a purpose. The ecosystem runs due to everything doing a job. Tigers are not only a gorgeous and majestic animal, but a needed animal to the survival of the environment that they live in. Humans are, yes, the main reason for their peril. However, those fighting for them are NOT the ones who have done this. THis is aimed at the person who said that the ones who now want to save them are the wealthy that did it. No, most zoological or conservationist people make very little money. We do this for the love of the animals and to preserve what YOU, those who balk at this, fail and are unwilling to do. Animals are a precious gift of nature, take the time to watch them, learn from them. The big cats could teach you a thing or two about patience, loyalty, and honor.
As you have noted Diane, tiger conservation has failed - spectacularly. The plight of the tigers is, in part, the fault of all of us who entrusted their preservation to Big Conservation and media-savvy academics who have been the architects of grand, flawed landscape solutions. The alarm bells were ringing in the late 60’s when there were still tens of thousands of tigers left and tigers became a huge cash cows for these self-appointed ‘guardians’ for many decades while the tiger population plummeted from tens of thousands to a few thousand. Meanwhile, 'tiger experts’ have naively promoted landscape solutions in the most populous region of the earth where tigers are supposed to live in harmony with people (and their livestock).
Rising human populations, overhunting of tigers and their prey, fragmentation and loss of habitat and the commodification of endangered species have continued over decades, yet how have we dealt with these threats?… we drew lines on maps and called them ‘reserves’ erected signs and hired a few underfunded locals – the tigers were simply cleaned out of porous ‘reserves’.
Reserves once touted as success stories by Big Conservation have turned into tragedies devoid of tigers and sweet deals with dubious corporations such as paper companies in Sumatra are now hopefully forgotten embarrassments.
Tigers are now isolated in tiny the pockets of their former habitat, but these pockets now provide opportunity for innovative and dramatic action. Some conservationists have recognized, albeit in hindsight, that the real need is for ‘real’ reserves with protected boundaries, fences and intensive protection from armed and trained wardens. Protection of about 40 of these sites is a critical and long overdue step in saving this species. Yet sadly, even now, some 'experts’ promote landscape games of humans, cows and tigers living in harmony. Grrrrrrr....