Blog: Year of the Tiger

Esther Conway of the WildCats Conservation Alliance looks at the efforts to protect tigers in the wild and what more zoos can do in this, the year of the tiger.

With today being the start of the Year of the Tiger, this charismatic big cat will be hitting the headlines. Are zoos and safari parks ready to make the most of this opportunity for visitor engagement and education?

Zoos and safari will need compelling stories to make visitors sit up and think about tiger conservation. What are those compelling narratives? Is it the fact that we still can only guesstimate wild tiger numbers and some habitats have still not been surveyed? Is it that wild tigers are extinct in Cambodia and Viet Nam[i]?

Yes, these are realities. But I believe there’s a bigger story to tell; without the conservation effort that has taken place across India, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia over the past twelve years, the tiger may well have disappeared from its ranges altogether.

In 2010, the last Year of the Tiger, heads of states of 13 tiger range countries came together at the Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg Russia. They made a commitment to a Global Tiger Recovery Programme and signed a declaration to double wild tiger numbers by 2022.

The recovery programme highlighted several high-level aims including the eradication of poaching and illegal trade. Activities included strengthening protection efforts, building cooperation and collaboration, increasing investment, and reducing demand for tiger products.

So how has it gone? There are plenty of success stories from across the range countries and result from a multiplicity of actions. Examples include the wide-spread implementation of patrol monitoring and analysis tools such as SMART [ii], and the CAT|S - Conservation Assured Tiger Standards for Protected Area management certification [iii].  Law enforcement authorities now accept Wildlife Crime as much a part of widescale international organised crime as drug and gun smuggling and people trafficking. [iv] Conservation is more inclusive of people in the conservation picture and integrating International Development strategies into conservation are becoming the norm.

Government commitment is an important piece of the tiger conservation jigsaw.  It is pertinent that Nepal and India are noted as countries where the tiger populations are increasing. In Nepal militarised tactics have both positive and negative consequences. India has of course set the bar high for the number of camera trap surveys it carries out every four years.  In 2018 it moved into the record books, for placing cameras in 26,838 locations in 141 different sites across 20 tiger states. [v]

In other countries, certain core tiger populations are protected and surveyed but this effort is not being replicated across all landscapes due to a lack of political will and financial investment. This lack of consistency leaves scientists unable to provide a scientifically rigorous population estimate.

As the heads of state of the 13 tiger range countries meet again in September at the next Global Tiger Summit, they will analyse the results of the Global Tiger Recovery Program and set the priorities for the next 12 years.

There is no doubt that tiger populations are still under great threat of extinction. The expansion of tiger farms in China, Vietnam and Laos which are estimated to hold more than 6,000 tigers,[vi] is driving the demand for tiger products. These battery farming-style facilitates, with unregulated breeding and “herds” of tigers kept together in small enclosures, do not contribute to the conservation of the species.  As there will always be some people who want wild over farmed, perpetuating the demand for tiger products spills over into the fragile wild population, Tiger bone wine and tiger glue, openly sold through consumer trade in Thailand and China, is of huge concern.

Demand reduction and the phasing out of tiger farms, must be a priority at the Summit, for without it, protection efforts will turn our landscapes in battle grounds.

As tiger source populations increase and disperse into surrounding areas, countries will need corridors and contiguous pathways between stepping-stones of well financed and expanding Protected Areas. Many rangers across tiger countries are still undervalued and paid daily rates, with little benefits and basic equipment and training. Professionalising rangers is a focus of the Universal Ranger Support Alliance (URSA) and other professional bodies, but it relies on government commitment.

And government commitment to conservation is a fickle thing, dependent on finances, leadership stability, and on being able to follow through on promises.  Unforeseen circumstances can derail even the most committed governments.  COVID-19 is a great case in point. It is hitting protected area management and budgets hard. Just last week, the Thai press reported that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked for additional Central funds to prevent 4,500 rangers from being laid off or face a 25% pay cut.[vii]

So where do we stand? Tigers are no doubt in a better place than they were 12 years ago. Conservation is making use of new technology and is more scientifically rigorous than ever before. People are being included rather than excluded from the picture. Conservation is less “colonial” and more inclusive. Protection measures are systematic, data-driven and intelligence-led. Some populations are no doubt growing (despite the suggestion that we are just better at counting them now).

As an apex predator, the tiger stands as guardian of its range. It protects the balance of the ecosystem, the forest carbon sinks and the water courses. After everything human nature has thrown at it, the species survives. It has earned its stripes and we need to earn ours too!

And that is why WildCats Conservation Alliance calls on every BIAZA zoo this year to do its bit and make tigers count this year. 

WildCats Conservation Alliance launch its campaign today 1 February 2022. A bite sized taster of the WildCats planned campaign activities:

• Campaign resource pack for campaigning zoos

WildCats has put together a handy resource pack to help campaigning zoos join the conversation. From posters and leaflets to social media templates this pack has links to everything they will need to start. More resources will be released throughout the year. https://conservewildcats.org/members/year-of-the-tiger/

• Monthly conservation podcast

WildCats will be delving into current issues affecting the preservation of this majestic species. In each episode, we will hear from experts from around the world working to save wild tigers and their habitats and take a deeper dive into the threats and solutions affecting the future of the species. Please do subscribe, share and review the WildCats Pawcast wherever you get your podcasts > https://link.chtbl.com/WildCatsPawcast

• Science and Conservation Event

WildCats and ZSL will host and online Conservation and Science event following the Global Tiger Summit to unpick some of the key results from the past 12 years and consider future priorities.

• Bursary capacity building

In recognition of Year of the Tiger, WildCats will be granting additional funds in the form of a bursary for professional development of an in-country team member from a WildCats funded conservation project.

• Public awareness and fundraising campaign.

During the year WildCats will be inspiring the public to learn about big cat conservation and to act for wildlife through a variety of online and public events.

For more information on Year of the Tiger visit the WildCats dedicated Zoo members page https://conservewildcats.org/members/year-of-the-tiger/. Registration required to access the Year of the Tiger resources pack.

Get in touch with us with questions and requests.

By Esther Conway, Manager of WildCats Conservation Alliance

All blogs reflect the views of their author and are not a reflection of BIAZA's positions. 

#tigerguardians #yearofthetiger2022