Poaching and habitat loss has taken a heavy toll on Siberian tigers in Russia's Far East. The Wildlife Conservation Society conducted a survey of tigers in the region and found a 40 percent decline in their numbers compared to the 12-year average. The monitoring area sampled by the Wildlife Conservation Society covered 9,000 square miles and included 16 monitoring stations. At those monitoring stations, only 56 tigers were counted during the survey.
Conservationists expressed hope that the decline they have revealed will spur action and encourage better protection for the rare cats. According to Dr. Dale Miquelle, of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Russian Far East Program:
"The sobering results are a wake-up call that current conservation efforts are not going far enough to protect Siberian tigers. The good news is that we believe this trend can be reversed if immediate action is taken."
Related:
- Saving Russia's Rare Panthers
- Siberian Tiger - Panthera tigris altaica
- Amur Leopard - Panthera pardus orientalis
Photos © Dale Miquelle / Wildlife Conservation Society.
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If we want to donate money to help save the Siberian Tigers, where should we give the money we raise?
Poaching, loss of habitat, and lack of prey because of over-hunting pose the biggest threats to the world’s tigers, which survives only in scattered populations. Although protected in most areas, tigers are still killed illegally, mainly for their skins and for use in traditional Chinese medicine.