Tigers ‘could be extinct within a decade’
The World Bank has thrown its support behind conservation efforts to save the tiger amid fears the big cats could be extinct in the wild within 10 years.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick is personally backing the joint scheme with the Smithsonian Institution which will help create tiger reserves across 13 countries and train hundreds of forest rangers in new anti-poaching tactics at a centre near Washington DC.
The bank will initially pump $1 million into tiger conservation efforts, creating a Conservation and Development Network that will link reserves in Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and other countries.
In India’s Madhya Pradesh Forest Department forest rangers have already recruited police sniffer dogs to help them track down tiger poachers.
The global tiger population currently stands at around 3,500. Just 100 years ago the creatures were estimated to number 100,000. Earlier this week it was reported that there were no longer any tigers in India’s Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Just six years ago the national park had at least 40.
“Without urgent action, the tiger could be extinct within the next 10 years,” said Zoellick.
“Working together, we can unite hundreds of conservation practitioners and dozens of institutions across the tiger range countries of Asia to arrest the terrible loss of tiger populations and bring these magnificent species back from the brink.”
Tigers are highly vulnerable to poaching because of the value of their pelt and their illegal use in traditional Asian remedies. Tiger habitats are also shrinking because of deforestation, bringing the creatures into contact and conflict with human settlements.
In a major scientific breakthrough which could help conservationists calculate and assess the state of remaining tiger populations, a research group of Indian scientists have been able to identify individual tigers from the unique DNA signature left in their dung.
“This study is a breakthrough in the science of counting tiger numbers, which is a key yardstick for measuring conservation success,” said noted tiger scientist Dr Ullas Karanth of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
“The technique will allow researchers to establish baseline numbers on tiger populations in places where they have never been able to accurately count them before,” he added.