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Tiger Habitat Shrinking

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Tiger Habitat Shrinking SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006 • VOLUME 28, NUMBER 5 CONTENTS 1 PAGE 2 ᮣ PAGE 3 ᮣ PAGE 4 ᮣ Victories Signs of Travel for WWF Okapi Found with WWF Activists in Africa Evidence of Amur Tiger Habitat Shrinking Tiger Cubs in Russia In early April, villagers in Russia’s Amur SCIENTISTS CALL ON LEADERS Province discovered the tracks of two tiger cubs—the first sign of tigers in the TO CONSERVE HABITAT region in more than 100 years. Upon AND REDUCE POACHING hearing the news, WWF scientists trav- he world’s tigers occupy 40 per- eled to the region to corroborate the evi- cent less area than was estimated dence. Not only was the evidence solid, Tjust a decade ago, according to a but it indicated that the two cubs were study by scientists from the world’s accompanied by an adult female. This leading tiger conservation organizations. new proof that tigers exist 400 miles But the study also found that large-scale northwest of their core range in conservation efforts have largely suc- Primorski Province means that tigers are ceeded in some areas, raising hopes that breeding and exploring new habitat— similar efforts could be replicated across incredibly good news! the tiger’s present and former range. At a July press conference at the Kiriliuk National Zoo in Washington, D.C., scien- . tists from WWF, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, and Save the Tiger Fund called on Asian leaders to commit to reducing poaching and habitat destruction, the two greatest threats to WWF-Canon/WWF-Russia/V © tigers in the wild. They also urged these A ruler measures the footprint of leaders to joinF the OorganizationsC forU a S an Amur tiger. Villagers found the tiger summit by 2008 to secure a strat- first signs of tigers in Russia’s Amur Province in more than 100 egy to save one of the world’s most years. threatened species. “This is wake-up call for con- Saving tigers is that tigers cannot afford another decade servationists and leaders of the a global effort. like the last one.” 13 Asian countries where tigers Harvey The study is based on new data that Page 7 still exist, that as more habitat is has become available only in the last 10 shrinking, tiger populations are years, including improved satellite data plunging,” said Eric Dinerstein, WWF’s on tiger habitat and land use change, chief scientist and vice president of con- more than 3,400 on-the-ground obser- servation science. “Overall, tigers are WWF-Canon/Martin vations of tigers from across their © found in just 7 percent of their historic Tigers reside in 40 percent less habitat than they were range, and “human influence” data range. What is obvious from the study is thought to a decade ago, according to a new study. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 ® WWF NEWS Assessment Finds Sants Name WWF in $20 Million Charitable Trust— Largest Gift to WWF from Individual Donors Alarming Decline in Nepal’s Roger and Vicki Sant have named WWF as beneficiary of a $20 million chari- table remainder trust, the largest gift the organization has ever received from individual supporters. Rhinos and Tigers The trust gift was inspired by WWF’s work in the Amazon—one of the most biologically diverse areas of the world and a region of particular interest to the POACHERS TOOK ADVANTAGE Sants. The trust will allow WWF to further our long-term conservation work such as supporting the Amazon Regional OF MAOIST INSURGENCY, Protected Area (ARPA), the largest and most ABSENCE OF PATROLS ambitious tropical conservation project in our history. The goal of ARPA is to establish and per- The first assessment of Nepal’s Royal manently safeguard 125 million acres of protect- Bardia National Park in two years has ed area—roughly the size of California. uncovered an alarming decline in rhino “We are so grateful to Roger and Vicki Sant. and tiger populations, indicating wide- This gift is a reflection of their overwhelming spread poaching during the country’s Foott commitment to the Amazon, and their confi- Maoist insurgency. Surveyors found f dence in WWF,” said Carter Roberts, president only 3 of the 70 rhinos translocated to and CEO of WWF. “This trust is the latest the Babai Valley area of Bardia National demonstration of the Sants’ long-term involve- Park since 1986, and evidence of just 3 WWF-Canon/Jef WWF of the 13 tigers that were reported in © © ment and dedication to WWF and ARPA.” Roger and Vicki Sant Roger Sant is cofounder and chairman emeri- the area between 1998 and 2001. Greater one-horned rhino tus of the AES Corporation, a global power company. In the 1980s, AES was The survey was done soon after an among the first in the power industry to voluntarily reduce carbon dioxide April ceasefire between the Maoist insurgents detained and assaulted four emissions from its power plants. He served as chairman of WWF from 1994 to insurgents and government troops, and members of a rhino monitoring team,” 2000, and is currently on our board of directors. Vicki Sant is president of the was conducted on elephant back by a said Mingma Sherpa, director of WWF’s Summit Foundation and a member of WWF’s National Council. 40-member team that included staff Eastern Himalayas program. “The from WWF, Bardia National Park, and results are discouraging, but WWF will the Department of National Parks. It take advantage of a new climate of MEMBER NEWS became apparent that poachers had peace to revisit and revamp strategies taken advantage of the absence of for antipoaching operations, forge new Help Protect Wildlife Through Your Workplace antipoaching patrols in this critical partnerships, and translate commit- WWF participates in workplace campaigns through Earth Share, a national rhino and tiger habitat, which was con- ments into action.” federation that represents 60 leading conservation organizations. See page 8 trolled by the Maoist insurgents. During the assessment, the team for details. “It became too dangerous to send apprehended two poachers armed with staff to that area in 2004 when Maoist CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 ® 2 FOCUS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006 TAKE ACTION! Taking a Front Seat Zhi to Conservation Lu More Victories for WWF Activists PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Tens of thousands of letters sent by aking to the musical slurs of vesper spar- WWF online activists helped secure Wrows and red-winged blackbirds, I pushed two big victories for the planet aside my tent flap and stepped into acres of end- recently, adding to a long line of wins for the advocates over the years. less prairie in full bloom. And while the sun rose, Schafer I joined the legendary ecologist Gordon Orians for Kittner Pristine Marine Ecosystem strong coffee in a tin cup, as we headed out into Sam Is Protected the sagebrush for a morning walk to learn the WWF/Kevin WWF activists championed pro- © dynamics of grasslands, the life cycles of antelopes, buffalo and sage Hawaiian monk seal grouse, and the history of ranching in this part of eastern Montana—one tection for the Northwestern of our country’s most iconic landscapes. Hawaiian Islands and President Bush Tesso Nilo National Park on the Just last week I had the privilege of joining a diverse group of WWF vol- subsequently designated the area as island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Local unteers and supporters in the Northern Great Plains—a “behind the a national monument, a move that forestry officials had captured the scenes” trip not found in a commercial travel brochure. This was a chance creates the world’s largest marine elephants after they had damaged to experience firsthand the scientific and spiritual riches of this region. reserve and spares the area the dam- crops and homes, and WWF had At the top of a buffalo jump, George HorseCapture, Jr., from the Ft. age that human activities have inflict- come to their aid with food, water, Belknap Indian Reservation, moved us with stories of the drama of historic ed on most U.S. ocean ecosystems. and veterinary help. WWF activists buffalo hunts and the spiritual con- The new monument is a remarkable signed a petition to the president of nection between Native Americans string of islands, reefs, and atolls. It is Indonesia urging him to release the “…witness and these wonderful animals. Famed one of the last large intact marine elephants and safeguard their habi- cowboy poet Paul Zarzyski riveted us ecosystems in the world. tat. In addition, the government has conservation on with salty poems and stories of his pledged to more than double the size Captured Elephants of Tesso Nilo, which is essential to a profound and years growing up with his father, fish- Are Released ing, ranching and riding broncs on the reducing human-elephant conflicts. personal level.” rodeo circuit. Restoration specialists Seven weeks after they were found Lend your voice and help us led us in planting hundreds of wil- chained to trees without food or achieve more successes: Visit WWF’s lows, chokecherries, and cottonwoods as part of WWF’s stream and ripar- water, seven endangered Sumatran free Conservation Action Network at ian restoration project. And local cowboys introduced us to five six-week- elephants were safely released in takeaction.worldwildlife.org. old baby bison, the first ones born on this part of the prairie in more than 120 years, and part of the new herd of wild bison WWF and the American Prairie Foundation are establishing on the reserve. This combination—of remarkable people and landscapes—makes WWF’s ON THE WEB travel program unique and irreplaceable.
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