TIGERS

[Lisbeth]

India's tiger population rises above 3 000

09 Apr 2023

India's wild tiger population - by far the largest in the world - has risen above 3 000, according to a census released on Sunday, boosting efforts to conserve the endangered species.

The largest of all cats, tigers once roamed throughout central, eastern and southern Asia.

But in the past 100 years the tiger has lost more than 93% of its historic range and now only survives in scattered populations in 13 countries, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Indian census found 3 167 tigers in the wild across the country, up from 2 967 reported in the last such count.

Surveys are conducted every four years, using camera traps and computer programs to individually identify each creature.

The rate of increase has slowed to less than seven percent over the period, down from more than 30% in the previous four years.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the new count was a "proud moment".

"Our family is expanding," he said at a ceremony in the southern city of Mysuru. "This is a success not only for India but the entire world."

Deforestation, poaching and human encroachment on habitats have devastated tiger populations across Asia but Modi said India had been able to increase its numbers thanks to "people's participation" and the country's "culture of conservation".

India is now home to 75% of the global tiger population and also the "largest tiger range country in the world", he added.

In 1900, more than 100 000 tigers were estimated to roam the planet. But that fell to a record low of 3 200 in 2010.

That year, India and 12 other countries with tiger populations signed an agreement to double their big cat numbers by 2022.

India is believed to have had a tiger population of around 40 000 at the time of independence from Britain in 1947.

That fell over subsequent decades to about 3 700 in 2002 and an all-time low of 1 411 four years later, but numbers have since risen steadily.

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one free among a few others

India 16.3.2006

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World Tiger Day

Bengal Tiger - Ranthambore 23.3.2006

Ranthambore (Inde) 25.3.2006

[Lisbeth]

South Africa cited in global report that seeks to end captive tiger breeding


Captive tigers in the Berlin Zoo. (Photo: Wiki Commons)

By Don Pinnock | 07 Jan 2024

Leading environmental organisations, including the WWF, Environmental Investigation Agency, Panthera, Wildlife Justice Commission and Four Paws, have produced a roadmap to end the captive breeding of endangered tigers. The report shows how South Africa, a major breeder, could exit tiger farming.
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Nearly 9,000 tigers are being bred in more than 300 facilities in Asia for the commercial sale of their cubs, skins and body parts as well as adult tigers. The numbers for South Africa’s “tiger farms” are unknown as tigers are considered exotic in SA and do not fall under protection legislation, but they are believed to be considerable.

The scale of South African “tiger farms” can be gauged from trade figures. Between 2011 and 2020, South Africa exported 358 live tigers and 93 tiger body parts. Most of these went to Vietnam, China and Thailand. During that time, 54 tiger “trophies” were exported — 27 to China, the rest to Bangladesh, Pakistan and Poland. These statistics, compiled by Four Paws, show that tigers are being bred for both hunting and commercial exploitation.

In answer to a question in Parliament in May 2022, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said her department estimated there were 70 facilities in SA keeping tigers. However, a year later, she denied that tigers were being exported for commercial purposes.


Phase-out planning for captive tigers.

The previous environment minister, Edna Molewa, flagged the problem in an answer in 2017, saying tigers were alien to South Africa and not regulated by biodiversity or protected species regulations. The department therefore did not keep statistics on tiger or breeder numbers or hunting.

In a report titled Roadmap to Closing Captive Tiger Facilities of Concern, leading environmental organisations, including the WWF, Environmental Investigation Agency, Panthera, Wildlife Justice Commission and Four Paws, produced a roadmap to end the captive breeding of endangered tigers. The report shows how South Africa, a major breeder, could exit tiger farming.

The report says, “There are significant concerns around captive tiger facilities and their role in the tiger trade in Myanmar, South Africa, and some EU Member States, as well as the large captive tiger population in the United States.”

According to the document, tiger farming is a significant animal welfare problem, with issues including indiscriminate breeding, overcrowding, inappropriate housing systems, genetic abnormalities causing acute suffering, cruel practices perpetuated to better control animals, inhumane slaughtering practices, poor diet and the early removal of cubs from mothers.



Tiger farming also stimulates demand, posing a threat to wild tigers.

“Given the illegal activities and conservation problems attributed to such operations,” says the report, “we recommend that States phase out captive tiger facilities of concern, whilst preventing the creation or growth of further such facilities.” It sets out the steps to do this:

• End the commercial trade in tigers;

• End the illegal trade in tigers and their parts and products;

• Take action to immediately prevent the continued acquisition and breeding of captive tigers;

• Ensure that jurisdiction over captive tiger facilities is vested with central or federal-level authorities;

• Make a central authority licence required to own captive tigers;

• Institute effective management and monitoring systems;

• Make frequent and unannounced inspections by relevant authorities;

• Ensure rigorous enforcement of laws prohibiting the ownership of tigers of illegal origin or without registration;

• Ensure no captive breeding facilities are established primarily for commercial purposes masquerading as scientific or conservation entities;

• Conduct a thorough audit of all captive tiger facilities;

• No compensation to be given to tiger breeders, as a compensation package could potentially be a financial incentive encouraging further breeding;
  Draft phase-out plans; and

• Put in place a clear timeline.

South Africa’s Department of Environment is in the process of phasing out captive lion breeding. These steps provide useful guidelines for this process as well as for winding down tiger breeding. DM

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[Lisbeth]

UN award for Nepal’s tiger range restoration spurs euphoria amid challenges

Nepal achieved a remarkable feat in conservation efforts recently, with the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) Initiative being recognized as one of the seven World Restoration Flagships by the U.N. for successfully restoring 66,800 hectares (165,000 acres) of forest and nearly tripling the tiger population over the past 20 years, reports Abhaya Raj Joshi.



This recognition opens doors for the country to receive technical and financial support to restore another 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) of forest in both Nepal and India — forests that are home to elephants, rhinos, gharials, hispid hares, sloth bears, and 500 species of birds, as well as Bengal tigers.

“In addition to restoring the forests, the TAL initiative also helped restore important transboundary corridors between India and Nepal through community-based forest conservation for the movement of wild animals such as tigers and rhinos,” said Dipak Gyawali, deputy director-general of Nepal’s Department of Forest and Soil Conservation.

The task ahead isn’t easy, however. The initiative faces significant hurdles in maintaining its conservation momentum, including the Nepali people’s aspirations for better infrastructure, addressing human-wildlife conflict, and lack of clear government policy.



“As we move forward, this challenge will also grow as the number of wild animals as well as people will increase," said Bed Kumar Dhakal, deputy director-general at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.

Nonetheless, the award should go a long way toward encouraging the people who built the initiative and also in building awareness among policymakers.

Click on the title to read the full article, which is part of Mongabay’s Wildlife Conservation series.