Born to Be Wild Saving the Majestic Tiger What is man without the“ beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected. Chief Seattle, American Indian,” Duwamish Tribe IFAW/A. Mookerjee IFAW/A. © For more information, visit IFAW.org/education. 1 IFAW/W. Poole IFAW/W. © About IFAW About Animal Action Week IFAW is an international organisation Each year, IFAW dedicates one week to raise awareness founded over 40 years ago in Canada. on dangers that animals and their habitats face. Geared With offices spread across the globe, it towards educating and involving young people in works to improve the welfare of wild environmental conservation activities worldwide, Animal and domestic animals by reducing Action Week (AAW) revolves around one important theme mistreatment and killing of wild animals each year. Students participate through art and design and the illegal sale of live animals and competitions and sign petitions to challenge leaders to their skins, tusks, horns and meat. take action. Most exciting, perhaps, are Animal Action Awards which are given to people – both young and old IFAW also protects wildlife habitats – who have made selfless and meaningful contribution to by supporting national parks and animal welfare. community areas, and assists animals that are in distress following injury, disease or This year’s theme is “Born to be Wild – Saving the Majestic disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Tiger”. This newsletter explains why tigers are endangered. It also has several learning activities that will help you In 2000, IFAW set up a regional office explore what you can do as an individual to help save this for East Africa in Nairobi. Since then, magnificent and rare creature. the organisation has helped conserve important wildlife habitats such as Tsavo and Meru National Parks, protected elephants by equipping the game rangers who fight poachers, and campaigned vigorously against ivory and wildlife trade. 1 Why Tigers are Important Tigers are an important part of the planet’s rich diversity of life. As top predators in their food webs, they feed on a variety of prey species and help maintain the structure and efficient functioning of the ecosystems they inhabit. Tigers, therefore, are considered a major or keystone species. If tigers disappear, the ecosystem will be negatively affected. This means that protecting tigers helps many other species as well. Save The Tiger Fund Save The Tiger © Yet tigers - big, strong and important as they are – face crisis. With just a few thousand tigers Born to Be Wild remaining in the wild, these majestic and ecologically important animals are dangerously Tigers are a symbol of strength and courage. close to vanishing from the face of the earth. The largest of all cats, tigers are among the most beautiful and unique animals on the planet. Many years ago, eight subspecies of tigers roamed Remarkably well-adapted to survival in the wild, across Asia. They were adapted to a variety of each has a different pattern of stripes. Like the habitats from the cold woodlands of the Russian zebra, tiger stripes are unique to individuals like Far East to the varied grasslands and forests of fingerprints are to humans. India and the tropical jungles of Indonesia. Today, tigers live in scattered groups in a small fraction The stripes enable them to camouflage or hide in of their original habitat. Three subspecies went forests and grasslands where most wild tigers live. extinct in the last century while all the existing The fur without stripes is a tawny reddish-orange tiger species are now endangered. colour (or white on the body’s underside), but if you shaved it all off, the tiger’s dark stripes would In 1900, there were 100,000 wild tigers yet today, remain on its skin. only as few as 3,000 remain. Sadly, there are more tigers living in cages than there are in the wild Many cultures have long held tigers in awe, today (USA alone is estimated to have 5,000 to viewing them as symbols of beauty, charm, luck, and power. Tiger images appear in Stone Age 10,000 held captive in cages). It is ironical that an cave paintings in India and in many temples and animal that is so adept at living in the wild should shrines throughout Asia. The tiger is also one spend its life in a cage. But it is frightening that of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. In China - the birthplace of all tigers - has fewer than fact, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese 50 tigers in the wild. Lunar calendar. 2 to having members of one family scattered in Habitat different parts of a town. For wildlife, it causes survival stresses that can lead to extinction. Tigers need dense vegetation for cover so that they can hide and pounce on their prey. They also need Another threat to wild tigers is the loss of their water and sufficient prey such as different types of prey animals by people hunting wildlife in and deer and wild pigs. Tigers also eat birds, monkeys, around their habitat. Without food, tigers may reptiles, and fish, as well as young elephants wander into villages to prey on livestock. This and rhinos. interaction - also called human-wildlife conflict - is often lethal for both people and tigers. Tigers are at risk for several reasons. One is the rapid disappearance of their habitat as human The biggest threat to tigers, however, is illegal populations grow. When wild lands are replaced trade in tiger products as it encourages poachers by houses, roads, farms, and logging operations, to poison, trap and shoot tigers so that they can wild tigers are forced to live in small “islands” of sell their bones, skins and meat at high prices on habitat without links or corridors. This process, the black market. called habitat fragmentation, could be compared Fur: helps maintain constant body temperature; in extreme temperatures, Body: average wild tiger 9–10 ft tigers grow longer coat in winter than (2.7 – 3 m) in length, including tail in summer; fur on tigers in tropical (32 in.; 80 cm); height at shoulder forests is deeper in colour Ears: white spots is 42 in. (105 cm); weight is on backs of ears are 300–600 lb (135–270 kg) believed to help cubs follow mother through dense underbrush Forehead: special marking often resembles Chinese character, or wang, which means “king” Eyes: powerful eyesight for hunting at dusk Legs: can run 55–65 kph, but tigers rely on stealth rather than speed to catch prey Scent glands: help tigers mark territory; found Face/nose/mouth: tigers around toes, face, tail communicate through Stripes: provide camouflage scent and vocalisations for tiger to hide in brush (some heard as far away as three miles); whiskers help for feeling way through habitat 3 Emy Smith Photography/Photographers Direct © An adult tigress usually has two or three cubs, which remain with their mother for two years or more. Aside from mating pairs and females with cubs, tigers tend to live alone. Wild tigers have a life span of 10 to 15 years. 4 • Place an index card labelled “humans” at the top All energy comes from the sun. of your food web. How can humans affect tiger Food webs show how energy moves food webs? between living things within an • Briefly describe what you have learnt in this ecosystem as they eat one another. Lesson 1 activity. Using local examples, suggest why this In general, energy flows from is relevant for lions or leopards. plants to animals or, more scientifically, producers to consumers to decomposers. For example, plants create energy from sunlight. Deer get energy by eating the Pair up with a friend and discuss Lesson 2 plants. Wolves get energy by eating the the meaning of these words deer, while owls get energy by eating mice. (above). Are there any new words whose meaning you are not familiar with? When wolves and owls die, bacteria, fungi, and scavengers return their nutrients to the soil for the plants to use. • Create one card for each of the following Key Vocabulary animals: tigers, deer, wild pigs, birds, monkeys, ecosystems poached fish, elephants, rhinos, bears (which tigers endangered camouflage frighten from their dens), leopards, reptiles, extinct vocalisation insects, and worms. food webs human-wildlife conflict habitat fragmentation marking territory • Tiger habitats have “dense” plants. Add cards for plant foods that might be found in a tiger’s food web in India, such as grasses (eaten most by deer, pigs, elephants, rhinos); flowers, fruits, berries, nuts (by birds, pigs, monkeys); and tree leaves (mostly by elephants). • Start by placing plants roughly at the bottom of a blank manila paper and the tiger near the top. Using arrows, construct a food web. Questions • Where would you place the sun on your food web? • What must be done to protect the tiger’s food web? 5 Meet Tiger’s “Cousins” Tigers are not found in the wild in Kenya or the familiar with, having seen them in Kenya’s national whole of Africa. They are however part of the parks. Like their cousin, the tiger, they face Big Cat Family whose members many of you are threats too. Joke: Which big cat should you never play cards with? A cheetah! Other Big Cats Around the World Cat Name Conservation Status Notes* © IFAW/D. Willetts • “Vulnerable”: estimated 10,000 - 23,000 lions in Africa • Used to live in most parts of Africa; now found only in the southern Sahara Desert and parts of southern and eastern Africa • Historically found in Africa and from Greece through Middle East to northern India Lion (Panthera leo) • Asiatic lion, a subspecies, is critically endangered; fewer than 400 remain in India © iStockphoto/Stephen Meese • “Near Threatened”: unknown number in South America, Central America, south-western United States • South America’s largest cats; once roamed throughout South and Central America • Today, significant numbers found only in remote parts of South and Central America- Jaguar (Panthera onca) particularly in Amazon basin; rare sightings near the Mexico-U.S.