Tigers Online!
An I*EARN Tiger Conservation Project by
Students
of Present and Former ‘Tiger Habitat’
Regions
Edited by, Martin A. Burnett, Project Advisor
Introduction- the Year of the
Tiger
The Tiger is the largest member of the cat
family, Felidae. It lives in Asia and
belongs to the same genus as the lion, leopard, and jaguar. The
modern tiger is thought to have originated in northern Asia, crossing
the Himalayas about 10,000 years ago. The rare Siberian tiger
(Panthera tigris altaica) has thick yellow fur with dark
stripes. The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) has a rich,
tawny color with darker stripes. It inhabits grassy or swampy areas
and forests. The tiger is a solitary animal, except during mating
time or when sharing food or scarce watering holes. Its diet varies,
ranging from deer to fish. Litters number one to six cubs. Tigers
have been hunted to near extinction by poachers, and all subspecies
have been declared endangered.
The world's tigers, whose population stood at more than 100,000 at
the turn of the century, are disappearing so rapidly they are in
danger of vanishing altogether, the National Geographic Society says.
In an article in the society's magazine, author Geoffrey Ward says
that between 5,000 and 7,000 tigers roam the wild, about half of them
in India and the rest in 13 other countries.
"The most critical problem for tigers was the loss of habitat
and unavailability of food for tigers in many of their
traditional
home areas," said Mike Nichols, a photographer who, along with
Ward, spent more than a year researching the article.
The authors said that three tiger subspecies-- the Caspian, Bali and
Javan-- are believed to have disappeared 50 years ago, and that the
south China tiger is close to extinction. Four other subspecies--
Bengal, Indochinese, Sumatran and Siberian&emdash;all are
endangered.
The World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation society have
documented 159 "Conservation" areas around the world where tigers are
most likely to be able to survive. The groups are trying to enlist
international support to preserve these areas for the tiger.
It’s a Tiger’s Life…
The Tiger lives in Tropical rainforests, coniferous and leafy
woods, on the north mangrove marshes. They are large solitary cats;
typically a male from Java and Sumatra: from head to the end of the
tail 2.2-2.7 meters, weight: 1OO-15O kilograms. Indian male: from
head to the end of the tail 2.7-3.1 meters, weight: about 18O-26O
kilograms. They are sand-color, brownish or yellowish base with black
stripes. They can live 15 years in the wild and 2O years in
captivity. The tiger has totally adapted to the creepy, surprise,
hit-and-run hunting. Its back-legs are longer than the anterior,
cause it is powerful jumper. With the long, sharp nails on the
front-leg it can catch and keep the struggling pray in prison. The
tiger eats anything, which it can trap, but it mostly feeds with
medium and large-figure animals, e.g. wild boars and beers.
Every tiger has its own area or territory. Females has 2O km2, males
have 6O-1OO km2. A male territory is not covering any other male
area, but it includes more females’. Neighboring female
territories generally haven’t got area in common.
The tiger regularly patrols on the boundary of its territory. It
marks the border with the mixture of the scent of its rectum gland
and its urine. It sprays this blend on the trees, bushes and rocks.
To have a territory is bid advantage for the female tiger. She knows
the area soundly and discovered the best hunting places on it.
It’s very important to keep under check the animals, which live
on her territory, especially when she has bring-up-need cubs. For the
male that isn’t the most important problem to have a victim, but
the advantage for him that he can monopolize the females which live
on his area.
The tigers start to mate when they are 3-4 years old. On the tropical
areas they are mating any time in the year, on north just in winter.
After 1O3 days of pregnancy, the female has 4 cubs, which are 1 kg..
The cubs live in a hole till they are 8 weeks old, then they follow
their mother everywhere. The female takes care of her cubs till they
are 1,5 years old. They can stay in their mother’s territory for
this time, before they have left it to get their own areas. (Rita
Kovacs, class 9.A, Berze Nagy Janos High School in Gyongyos,
Hungary)
Status of the Tiger in 1996
Tiger Sub-species Minimum Maximum
BENGAL (INDIAN) TIGER
P.t. tigris (Linnaeus 1758) 3,030 4,735
Bangladesh 300 460
Bhutan 50 240
China 30 35
India 2,500 3,750
Nepal 150 250
CASPIAN (HYRCANIAN/TURAN) TIGER
P.t. virgata (Illiger 1815) EXTINCT
Formerly Afghanistan Iran Chinese and Russian Turkestan
1970's-Turkey
SIBERIAN (AMUR/USSURI/NORTH-EAST
CHINA/MANCHURIAN) TIGER
P.t. altaica (Temminck 1844) 162 430*
China 12 20
Korea (North) <10 <10
Russia 150 200
JAVAN TIGER EXTINCT
P.t. sondaica (Temminck 1844) 1980's -
SOUTH CHINA (AMOY) TIGER
P.t. amoyensis (Hilzheimer 1905);
China 20 30
BALI TIGER EXTINCT
P.t. balica (Schwarz 1912) 1940's -
SUMATRAN TIGER
P.t. sumatrae (Pocock 1929) 400 500
INDO-CHINESE TIGER
P.t. corbetti (Mazak 1968) 1,180 1,790
Cambodia 100 200
China 30 40
Laos present
Malaysia 600 650
Myanmar present
Thailand 250 600
Vietman 200 300
TOTALS 4,792 7,285
*This estimate has been changed from Peter Jackson's original
estimate of 230 in order to reflect the most recent census figures.
Note: Both Bengal and Indo-Chinese tigers are found in Myanmar;
Bengal tiger
west of Irrawady and Indo-Chinese tiger to the east.
Table compiled by Peter Jackson, Chairman, Cat Specialist Group,
Species Survival Commission, The World Conservation Union (IUCN),
from reports by specialists in tiger range countries. Most estimates
are educated guesses. This tables appears in Cat News Volume 25.
Tigers Online- Objectives &
Accomplishements
*Established a global team of student researchers who
collaborated on this project.
This team will consisted primarily of students from countries that
Tigers still inhabit or have previously inhabited. These students
collaborated and discussed results via I*EARN’s Environ
discussion group @ www.iearn.org.
*Under the guidance of the Project Advisor, the International
Education and Research Network (I*EARN), the American Museum of
Natural History Education staff, government scientists and
professionals, and teachers from individual schools, the student
participants:
Tigers Online- Results
Kazakhstan:
In Kazakhstan tigers lived till the middle of our century around the
Lake Balchash and River Ili. There's a lot of data on presence of
tigers in Kazakhstan in the past. For example, in 1762 Rychkov
mentioned that there were lots of tigers in the grass near the Aral
Sea and along the Syrdarya River which caused a lot of harm to people
and the camels and horses that happened to be there.
In the course of the following years, tigers in the lower reaches of
the Syrdarya River began to disappear. A large tiger was killed in
1924 within 30 km of the Syrdarya River mouth. In the winter of 1926,
six tigers migrated from the lower parts of the Amurdarya River to
the Syrdarya mouth and the Kuvandarya, moving along the eastern coast
of the Aral Sea. The last tiger in the lower Syrdarya was killed in
1933 in the mountains of the Kostam Ridge of the Kazalin area of the
Kzyl-Orda region.
In November 1945, there was a massive migration of wild pigs from the
Amurdarya Delta to the lower parts of the Syrdarya River. They were
moving along the coast of the Aral Sea and were followed by tigers.
First traces of tigers were observed in the Aral area. Then tigers
moved along the left bank of the Syrdarya River to the Capital,
Dzhusala. There, they crossed the river and appeared near the lakes
in the lower parts of the Kok-su system in the Kzyl-Orda region. The
further movements of these tigers are unknown.
The last couple of tigers were killed in the lower parts of the Chu
River; but according to the hunters, these animals were seen there
later until the huge fires of 1916/17. In 1929, two pairs of these
cats lived near the Ulanbel Lake. Tigers were also met there in 1936
and 1937.
Starting in 1948, all hunters affirmed that there were no traces of
tigers anywhere. So, 1948 should be considered as the year of
disappearance of the tigers in the lower parts of the Ili river.
In the east of Kazakhstan tigers always used to live near the
Zaisan-nora lake. Within Kazakhstan there used to be a sub-species of
tiger, the Turan Tiger (F.t.virgata Matchie).
Today we see this beautiful animal more often in the pictures than
live, but we would like to help those who survived! Scientists think
that there are no tigers in Kazakhstan any more. However, this fall,
the newspaper "Karavan” and later on the radio was a report
about a tiger that appeared near the River Ily. Some people has seen
its traces. Maybe the tigers decided to return! “Let's hope in
it!” --Students from school #90, Almaty,
Kazakhstan
Novosibirsk:
“Zoo-geography of Far East” by, A.M.Kolosov (Moscow,
1980). This work was partially translated by Elena Rekechinskaya and
students of 7th grade class at Classical school #3,
Novosibirsk, Russia): Natasha Shatrova, Olya Kononova, Misha
Belonosov, Jane Tiunova, Vika Novokshanova, Pavel Zinov’ev, Anya
Kim, Dima Novoselov:
The most dense region of tiger’s population occupied early all
the southern part; the inhabited region is to the south, from the
uppers of the Armu and the Peshernaya Rivers in the source of the
River B. Ussurka.
A small sub-population of animals inhabited a narrow strip along the
southernmost segment of the national border - from the bank of the
Hanka Lake to latitude of Vladivostok town. This region in the end of
1960 year was separated of the central - Sihota-Alinsky. (Translated
by Natasha Shatrova)
Under V.K.Arsenyev’s (1947-1949) data, the area of distribution
of tigers in the Far East looked like two oblong figures. The western
protuberance of the area, located to the west of Sikhote-Alin, began
in the north on a river bur (approximately on one latitude with cape
Syurkum). Further, the area of distribution by a rather narrow band
surrounded upper reaches of the rivers, Anyu and Chor. To the west
from these points, and to the south from Khabarovsk, the area
inhabited by tigers reached up to the River Podkhorenok. (Translated
by Olya Kononova)
From here, the border goes East. The river’s flow gives rise to
the Matai, Althan, Bikin, Tekir, B. Ussurka, Orethovka and Gornay
Rivers. Some of the south area disposed primarily on the rivers
Samarga and Kabanja up to the river Margaritovka, Rydnaja, and
Zerkainaja. Here, the areas in the joined rivers flow and formed
irregularly, but a wide strip goes to the south close to the city,
Vladivostok.
Later, the region of constant habitat of the tigers stretched
approximately to 46o n. lat. (supreme river Kema), the
first cape, went to the north of the mouth of the river Samaga
(approximately 47o37’), and the second-to the west
part of the Sihote-Alinya, in the north latitude Khabarovsk (almost
to 49o n.lat.). According to W.G.Geptnera and others
(1972), this region was temporary, but regular inhabitants “drop
in.” On the west, it stretched near the west slopes of
Sihote-Alinya, and along the River Ussury, and then to Komsomolsk- on
Amur. The average part of the Sihote-Alinya this region is to 48
o20’ n.lat., and for west slopes- approximately
48o45’, which is close to the mountain. To the north,
individuals inhabited the region to 51o n.lat., to the
River Gorin and River Amgun. (Translated by Misha Belonosov)
After prohibition of hunting (1947) and catching (1956-1960 ), the
restoration of the number of tigers began in the period, 1960-1970.
The region that tigers inhabit is the mountainous pine forests and
deciduous forsets of the Sihote-Alin, south of District Anyi, on the
west slopes and in the south of District Seymarga- in the east. This
was the last time tigers inhabited the south Sihote-Alin on the east
slopes and to the north of the Maksimovvska and in the west district
the Belein. Isolated populations are in the east-west in the district
of Rasdollnai. In Habarovsk and Amyrs regions, there were some tigers
in 1960, in basin rivers of the Byrei, the Cwir and the Yrmi down to
source of the Amur.
(Translated by Dima Novoselov)
According to the data of Kaplanov (1948), the tigers’ diets in
Sikhote-Alin (rivers the Peschernaya, the Amur and others) is
presented as follows. Analysis of 10 experiments has demonstrated,
that the diets of tigers consisted of: Manchurian bears (3), elks(1),
Kabarga(1) wild boars(5). S.A.Salmin (1938) studied the tracks &
in the the Armu River had seen imprints of tigers who caught hares,
and harel-grouses. V.K.Arseniev (1947-1949) observed on the Anui
River, a stack of frozen fish, joined on all sides with willow twigs,
which tigers destroyed and ate the frozen fish. (Translated by Pavel
Zinov’ev)
The calculations showed that at the woods of Primorja Littoral,
24-32% of wild-boars ; 10-12% of buffalo, and 6-8% of bears are
killed by tigers. The report of A.G.Yudakova about tigers proves that
35% of wild-boars and 20% of buffalo are killed by tigers in the
regions with high quantity of tigers. Tigers are catching about 4000
wild-boars (18-22% livestock), 2500 buffalo (9-11%), and 370 of brown
and black bears (6-7% of common quantity) each year, some years ago.
Tigers often affected the dogs and home cattle. (Translated by Vika
Novokshanova)
On the right bank of the River Sungary, the tiger caught turtles. He
adroitly took it from the water, when the animals, appeared to
navigate on the surface. By the story, on the River Bikin, once a
tiger appeared who always looked for food in the sable traps and was
eating all that it could find. Special investigation of tiger’s
nutrition in Sihote-Aline showed that from the 98 animals that the
tiger caught, there were: pigs-56%, Manchurian deer-6%, roes-6%, and
musk deer-5%.(Translated by Jane Tiunova)
In the last ten years in the Far East, 110-150 tigers were taken. At
the beginning of this century the tigers being caught decreased: in
1900-1905 by 50-80 tigers being shot, in 1911-1914 83 were taken.
From 1920-1925, tigers being caught numbered only 5-8 tigers per
year. There were 56 tigers taken from 1948-1956. Over the last 70
years there were 200-300 young tigers caught. (Translated by Anya
Kim)
We are the students from 5 V class (classical school #3, Novosibirsk,
Russia) and have joined the project work “tigers” with
great interest. To start with whole class visited our city zoo where
we had a chance to watch some of its tigers, make snapshots and put
down all the observations about their behaviour in our notebooks.
Due to “Tigers” project we got to know lots of interesting
things not only about tigers, but about the fact they were widely
spread over the vast territories from the Caucasus up to the Pacific
ocean, from the islands of Java and Sumatra to the Lake of Baical.
Some 50 years ago, their population exceeded 100 thousand. At present
they’re extremely rare, though hunting tigers was prohibited in
1947. They were being killed because of fur and magic remedies of
Chinese medicine, gambling, vanity and superstitious fear but the
scientists investigating them assert, - “They attacked people
rarely, chiefly because they destroyed forests and their hunting
zones; illness and weakness urged them to find man as an easy victim
to get.” Jim Korbett, a prominent hunter and naturalist, called
the tiger “jungle’s gentleman” for its beastly
nobleness.
S. Kucherenko, our connoisseur of tigers states: “Man is beyond
reach for the Amur Tiger”. Experienced hunters say, “Tigers
always leave having smelled man’s smell.” Worse yet, the
Amur Tiger’s life story whose habitat is in the Far East is as
tragic as those of India, Nepal, China, Iran, Afghanistan, Sumatra,
Java and Baltic. There was a time when tigers of Kazakhstan and the
Middle Asia were considered hazardous and special squads to
exterminate them were assembled. Only the Amur Tiger is still
preserved on the territory of Russia, but its population now is less
than 200. Now people try to do their utmost to help it survive.
We have written short compositions about tigers, the way we can
possibly picture them, and what we know about them. Here is a short
piece of our collective compositions for you:
A tiger is the King of all the animals on the Earth. Tigers attract
people’s attention because of their huge sides. The length of
the Amur tiger’s body is about 3 metres. Tigers are also
interesting for the fact that they hide away and people can hardly
ever see them. Many people treat them well for their pride and love
for freedom. Tigers are valued for their beautiful coat and are
hunted for to get some hunter’s prize. Tigers are like lions,
leopards, lynx, panther and cheetah and most of all like a big fed-up
cat. Tiger is very beautiful. It has big yellow eyes, orange body
with black stripes. It is an amazing and rare colour that helps
tigers to hide in the pushes where they live and wait for their prey.
They can climb trees and jump on deer and boars from there. There are
many tigers in Indian jungles, but in Russia their number is scare.
They live in the Far East. Though their coats are worm tigers
can’t live in Siberia because deep snow doesn’t allow them
to move fast.
We have seen tigers in captivity - in the circus and in the zoo.
Tigers keep themselves with dignity. They are proud animals. A tiger
does obey man, but it can easily attack him. To tame tigers and keep
them at home is probably possible but not worth doing.
Number of Tigers in Far East Russia:
Number of tigers.--According to Dimitry ("Dima") Pikunov, tiger
and leopard researcher out of the Pacific Institute of Geography, Far
East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Vladivostok,
approximately 300 wild Siberian tigers remain in Khabarovsky and
Primorsky Krais of the Russian Far East, principally in the main part
of the Sikhote-Alin Mountain Range, and in the coastal slope forests
southwest of Vladivostok along the China border extending south to
the Tumen River and North Korea. Other tiger population estimates I
had heard ranged up to 350.
Distribution of Tigers in Far East Russia:
Bikin River Valley.--One of the hearts of the tiger range in the
Far East is the Middle and Upper Bikin River Watershed in northern
Primorsky Krai. In 1993, I flew over the area in an observation
flight and noted its vast extent of primary forests, although some
patches had been burned and were in earlier successional stages of
birch, aspen, and larch. During 8-14 May 1994, I traveled up the
Bikin River from its confluence with the Ussuri River, by lorry and
by river boat, to the Udege native villages of Krasny Yar in the
Middle Bikin and Ulanga in the Upper Bikin. On this expedition were
Vladimir Bocharnikov (ornithologist with Pacific Institute of
Geography, Vladivostok), Alexi Kiselev (vegetation ecologist with the
Institute), Nadia Ignatova (small mammal ecologist with the
Institute), Phillip Siarkowski (forester with the U.S. Ussuri
Planning team), and four Udege boatmen and hunters. We discussed
tiger, prey, and game abundance in the Bikin River Watershed with the
scientists, the Udege, and with several Russian
Gospromkhoz (hunting industry) hunters and trappers we met along the
way.
China:
We went to visit Mr. Ma who is a zoology research worker at The
Chinese Academy of Sciences. He told us about the tiger and the
following is part of what we learned from him.
Now Russia has the most tigers in the world. In China, tiger is
strictly protected and is as rare as the Giant Panda in China. There
are Huanan Tigers, Northeast Tigers, and Indian Tigers. A few years
ago, there were a lot of tigers in Huabei, Shanxi, Shandong
provinces, and northeast China, the sum of them was about 3000 to
4000. But according to the recent statistics, tigers only live in the
north part of China now. Hubei, Jiangxi, and Guizhou provinces have
just a few tigers, estimate below 1000 tigers in China or even less.
So, we can say that, "Tigers already are on the verge of
annihilation!"
Tigers mainly live in the mountain and forest regions. They move
about alone. They go out at night. In the day time they hide in the
thick growth of grass to have a rest and seldom go out. They move
about actively before the sun rises or after the sun sets. When they
have got enough food and being not disturbed by man, they move about
in a fixed field. The scope of their movement is rather wide. In the
north tigers usually move about in a scope of 10 miles. Each adult
tiger has its own field and their borders may overlap.
Tigers in the north have bigger ranges than the ones in the south
because the scope in which they hunt is bigger. They have bigger
ranges in winter than in summer. Male tigers have larger territories
than the females. Tigers don’t have fixed dens. They lie in the
thick growth of grass whenever they are tired. During the farrowing,
they make their dens under the fallen trees or cliffs to protect
themselves from the wind and the rain. Their dens are not big, just
enough for their bodies to lie in. The dens are very simple. They
only put some leaves or grass at the
bottom of them. Their main food is wild boar. We can find their
footsteps where the groups of wild boars spend their winter.
When they hunt animals, they usually do it secretly. When they find
one far away, they stand still. They look around and walk very
quietly under the shades, among the thick growth of grass, or behind
masses of stones to pursue the animal. Sometimes they have to crawl
to it. Though they have big bodies, they can move very quickly and
silently. When they are near the animal, they will jump on it
suddenly and beat it down with their forepaws, and bite the neck and
the throat of it, with their sharp teeth. They eat the internal
organs first and then the flesh and the
skin. After they put the rest in a suitable place, they go the stream
to drink and have a rest. Tigers don't need to eat for days after he
was full. So, when the food in one area is not enough for tiger he
could move far to another place.
Although tigers are very ferocious, they never attack big animals
like elephants or lions and do not usually attack people. Tigers are
good jumpers. They can leap 7m along the ground and 2m upwards.
Tigers have sharp eyes and a keen sense of smell. Tigers may howl
very loudly at night. A person can hear a tiger howl 2km away! It is
not uncommon to see a Tiger swimming. When the day is very hot they
often go to swim in a river, but tigers are not good at climbing
trees.
There are six kinds of tigers in China:
1. Panthera tigris tigris (Linnaeus)
2. Panthera tigris alaica (Femmirck)
3. Panthera tigris coreensis (Brass)
4. Panthera tigris locoqi (Schwarz)
5. Panthera tigris amoyensis (Hilzheimer)
6. Panthera tigris covbetti (Mazak)
-Tiger project group at Bayi Middle School: Zhou Ran, Gao Xiang, Cao
Wei, Zhu Ke Feng.
Number of Tigers in Northeast China:
According to Lu Bingxin (Director, Heilongjiang Province
Wildlife Institute, Harbin, China; personal communication 31 May
1994), in 1976 there were 151 tigers in northern China, which
included 81 in Heilongjiang Province and Jilin Province. As of 1991,
only 10-12 remain in Heilongjiang Province (with virtually none in
Jilin Province). The decline has been due to poachers and habitat
loss from logging.
The Tiger Trade
Many people see the tiger as a beautiful animal which must be saved
from extinction. Other people, however, would prefer a dead tiger to
a live tiger. There are many reasons why people kill tigers, but once
dead, a tiger is worth a lot of money.
The trade in tiger parts almost died out in the 1970s and early
1980s, but it has been revived in the past decade. Although tigers
are protected by law in most countries, tiger poaching (illegal
killing of tigers) continues. It may be the most serious threat to
the survival of wild tiger populations.
Many Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) contain tiger bone and other
body parts. Use of these products is further endangering wild tigers,
but consumers are often unaware of this fact. In 1995, the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS)launched its Asian Conservation
Communication Program to raise awareness and reduce the demand for
tiger products in mainland China, and U.S. Chinese communities. By
working with TCM practitioners and educating the public on tiger
conservation issues, WCS has helped to improve attitudes toward
saving tigers.
Investigative reports released by the Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reveal that demand for tiger
medicinal products is not confined to Asia, but the United States and
Canada are key markets for products using some of the world’s
most endangered species &endash; including tigers. Poaching for this
trade is the most urgent threat to tigers in the wild.
Investigators from World Wildlife Fund’s wildlife trade
monitoring program, TRAFFIC*, found that more than 50 percent of
retail stores surveyed in North American Chinatowns sell illegal
endangered species products despite a 20-year-old international ban.
The survey looked at the availability of TCMs labeled as containing
endangered species in seven major cities -- New York, San Francisco,
Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Conservation Efforts
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY
“Saving the Tiger for Three Decades”
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) dedication to
protecting tigers began in 1960’s with Dr. George
Schaller’s first-ever study of the Bengal tigers in Kanha
National Park, India. Since then, WCS has pioneered research
techniques and explored new areas to learn more about tiger ecology
in India, Thailand, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia
and Russia’s Far East. Rigorous scientific research in these
regions of Asia will allow WCS to:
consumers.
INDIA
WCS announces a new initiative aimed at securing three new tiger
populations in India’s Karnataka State, home of Nagarahole
National Park. Dr. Ullas Karanth has studied tiger ecology there
since 1986. Currently, he conducts surveys of tigers and their prey
in key habitat areas throughout the entire country. His plans to
develop a long-term conservation strategy for India’s tigers by
building on his work in Nagarahole and working with state and local
governments.
INDOCHINA
Possibly the region where tigers will most likely survive, yet
little is known about how many tigers remain and where they live. WCS
provides critical support to national agencies in Myanmar and Lao
PDR, and is starting a collaborative effort with Cambodia’s
government to develop a tiger action plan. In Malaysia, WCS runs
training programs to help the government survey tigers and develop
long-term monitoring methods. Working with WWF-Malaysia, WCS recently
started the first comprehensive scientific survey of the status of
tigers in peninsular Malaysia. WCS scientists also coordinate
research programs in Indonesia, where tigers exist only in
Sumatra.
THAILAND
Until recently, no one knew the status of tigers within
Thailand’s network of protected areas. In 1987, Dr. Alan
Rabinowitz completed the first survey of the country’s tigers
with Wildlife Fund Thailand. Building on Rabinowitz’s studies of
tiger and prey abundance, WCS began a comprehensive survey in 1996,
working with the Thai Royal Department of Forestry.
RUSSIA FAR EAST
As a partner with the Hornocker Wildlife Research Institute, WCS
has investigated the Siberian tiger since 1991. The program also
trains local researchers in census techniques and supports
anti-poaching efforts to help improve the existing protection in the
region.
TRANSBOUNDARY
Frequently, tigers exist in protected border areas, where
transboundary colloborations are needed to insure the big cat’s
safety. WCS has co-sponsored two Transboundary Biodiversity
Conferences, and planned a third for 1998.
EDUCATION
WCS curricula educate millions of school children about tigers in
the U.S. and in also China. Bronx Zoo visitors can view the
captive-bred tigers, which are part of the American Zoo and Aquarium
Association’s Species Survival Plan.
WCS Tiger Campaign
As little as 50 years ago, eight tiger subspecies roamed
throughout Asia. Now only five remain. Human pressures from hunting
and habitat destruction exterminated the Bali, Caspian, and Javan
tigers. Today, as human populations continue to grow, people compete
more and more with tigers for land and food. Trying to reverse this
trend, the Wildlife Conservation Society has
embarked on an ambitious program to save tigers in the field designed
to earmark priority areas for tigers, and protect them.
Hope for the Future?
Tigers Online! &endash;Participants Working
Towards Tiger Conservation
Students at several schools put their hearts into this
project. With their ambitious efforts this project was a great
success. These schools and students are named below. Without Ed
Gragert’s inspiration, this project would never have developed;
thank you to Ed Gragert and all of the I*EARN contributers who added
to this project by providing sources of information and ideas! This
project is only the beginning of Tiger Conservation in these
countries, but you’ll probably agree that it is a great
start!!!
Participating schools:
We are teachers and students of School-Gymnasium #38,
Ust-Lamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. We are very much interested in the
Tiger Project of I*EARN. The matter is that once tigers were
inhabiting the area of our oblast (province). So, we want to know the
reasons for their being extinguished.
Natalia Mukhina, teacher of Geography; Biology teachers Zinaida
KIchigina and Svetlana Blokhina, & Natalia Krasikova (an English
teacher) will help us with translations.
Contact: Natalia Mukhina, E-mail:
natalia@gym38.east.kit.kz
Apt. 59, 72 Proletarskaya Street, Ust-Kamenogorsk 492024
Kazakhstan
Name and location of School:
School-Gymnasium #38
10, Uritskogo Street, Ust-Kamenogorsk 492024 Kazakhstan
Number of students and their age(s):
60 students of 7-8 grades, aged 12-14
Bayi Middle School
Contact: Whang Li, Teacher of Geography. E-mail:
bayi@public.bta.net.cn
Name and location of School:
Bayi Middle School, Suzhou st. No 29
Haidian District Beijing, 100080 PRChina
Number of students and their age(s):
10 students of 7-8 grades, aged 12-13
4 students of 10 grade, aged 15-16
Classical school #3, Novosibirsk, Russia
“Let them live free. We like them! Tigers are great. Many
thanks for your challenge to join "Tigers" project.” We were
supervised in our project work by: Olga U. Novak - classical school
"List" laboratory's leader, Ludmila B. Pshenitsyna - zoology
teacher.
Yours sincerely,
Ksenya Alkova, Irene Antonova, Alex Beregovoy, Marina Vasilieva,
Alice Vlasova, Anthony Duvalov,
Cemen Dyatlov, Kate Zinina, Nastya Kazakova, Kira Kazakova, Anya
Kolacheva, Tanya Ksenchuk,
Igor Nikiforovskiy, Julya Novak, Andrew Okhotnikov, Vera Pankratova,
Eugeniy Provotorov,
Artem Simonov, Dima Soroka, Irene Tugunova, Oleg Feofanov, Roman
Chalykh.
Students and teachers of 3-V, 5-V and 7-V classes
Classical school #3
Novosibirsk,
Russia
And, Students from school #90, Almaty, Kazakhstan!