29 July 2012 - Wangqing,
China – Over 30 captive-bred red and sika
deer have been released into the wild in
Northeast China’s Wangqing Nature Reserve
to help repopulate the area with desirable
prey, giving the country’s endangered wild
Amur tigers plenty to celebrate on Global
Tiger Day.
The release is part
of a tiger recovery trial project run by
WWF, the Jilin Provincial Forestry Department
and the Wangqing Forestry Bureau and represents
a crucial first step in providing the living
conditions Amur tigers need to thrive in
the reserve’s rugged Changbaishan area.
“There is very little
prey for the 20 Amur tigers now living in
Changbaishan, and this limits their numbers
in China. Increasing the breeding population
of the prey will help attract more Amur
Tigers in the long run,” said Fan Zhiyong,
Director of WWF China’s species programme.
Open publication - Free
publishing - More amur tiger
One tiger needs to eat the equivalent of
a medium size deer every week to survive
and without adequate food, the tiger population
rapidly declines. Many of Asia’s forests
are already considered ‘empty’, with many
trees but few animals.
Fifty years of decline
Over the past fifty
years, the population of wild Amur tigers
in Northeast China has declined from an
estimated 200 to 20 today, due to massive
pressure from deforestation, economic development,
and poaching.
There are an estimated
450 Amur tigers now living in the Russian
Far East, but recent sightings show that
the population is slowly moving across the
Chinese border and into the country’s Wandashan
and Changbaishan mountains, part of the
Wangqing Nature Reserve.
However, a recent WWF-backed
survey shows that the lack of prey is a
major hurdle in supporting the settlement
of tigers in Northeast China. The same survey
shows that the number of ungulate animals
in the Changbaishan area - especially favored
prey such as red deer and sika deer - is
too low to support the recovery of the Amur
tiger population.
“Density of red deer
and wild boar, for example, is only 0.3
per square kilometer, less than half the
number in neighboring Russia. The low prey
density in China means it would be extremely
difficult for the area’s forests to support
the recovery of the tiger population,” said
Dr. Zhu Jiang, Head of WWF China’s Northeast
Office.
“Part of the solution
is to increase the stock of available prey.
We’re also working on habitat restoration,
and stepping up monitoring to stop poaching,”
noted Dr. Zhu. “This initial trial will
help create the conditions needed to support
the survival of at least one female tiger
within the Wangqing Nature Reserve.”
+ More
Global Tiger Day - spare
a thought for tiger prey too!
29 July 2012 - As tiger
range countries today celebrate Global Tiger
Day, WWF is urging the governments to raise
efforts to work towards Zero Poaching of
tiger prey as well as tigers.
With wild tiger numbers
as low as 3,200, direct, targeted poaching
of tigers is the most immediate danger for
the species today. However, a serious contributing
factor to the plight of the tiger is the
widespread decline of its forest larder
– the deer, wild pigs and wild cattle such
as the Gaur.
One tiger needs to eat
the equivalent of a medium size deer every
week to survive and without adequate food,
the tiger population declines very fast.
Too many forests of Asia are classed as
‘empty forests” – the trees are there but
the animals are gone. Anti-poaching efforts
therefore must be targeted at protecting
both the tiger and its prey.
Poachers very often
focus on tiger prey rather than tigers themselves.
Prey animals are sought by local poachers
to supply the local food market. Many of
these prey species are also highly endangered
and often neglected by conservation efforts.
Yet, they can also benefit from the extra
protection given to the tiger.
Open publication - Free
publishing - More conservation
“Without protecting
the tiger’s prey from poaching and forest
degradation, achieving the target of doubling
wild tiger numbers by 2022 is impossible,”
said Mike Baltzer, Leader of WWF’s Tigers
Alive Initiative. “The survival of the prey
is key to the survival of the tiger.”
Tackling poaching requires
high levels of professionally managed security.
But if the local community is against the
park or the tigers, then the continued efforts
of the poachers will overwhelm even the
best-trained, motivated rangers who are
at the frontline protecting tigers.
A long-term WWF project
in southern Thailand, working intensively
with the local communities living around
Kuiburi National Park, has reduced poaching
by four-fold and doubled tiger prey population.
The project clearly demonstrates that when
local communities are well mobilized, they
can be a very powerful and essential force
against poaching.
Working towards Zero
Poaching requires serious government intervention.
The WWF Wildlife Crime Scorecard released
on Monday reported that more than 200 tiger
carcasses are being seized from illegal
trade each year and that most countries
were very far from providing protection
against poaching and illegal wildlife trade,
particularly those countries like China
and Vietnam, where illegal traders know
there is a strong demand for tiger-based
products.
WWF is today releasing
a short film “Confessions of an ex-poacher”
that highlights the destructive trade. Interviews
with two former poachers turned tiger protectors
give insights into this illicit world that
drives forests to become lucrative hunting
grounds for poachers and making tigers their
livelihoods. The film also discusses steps
needed to stem out poaching in the heartland
areas of forests where tigers breed. One
of these is to provide those at the frontlines
protecting tigers – rangers, protected area
officials and local communities – with the
right tools to eradicate poaching.
Local communities and
protected area staff, particularly rangers
or specialized enforcement officers, are
the frontline against poaching and the illegal
wildlife trade. Rangers put their life on
the line everyday to keep wild tigers and
their prey safe. They are critical in achieving
Zero Poaching, yet are not always fully
appreciated for their important role. WWF
will be launching a special action on International
Rangers Day on 31 July to honour these unsung
heroes.
Elsewhere, WWF offices
in tiger range countries are also joining
governments and civil society in a range
of Global Tiger Day celebratory events.
Bhutan: A special community
event will be held in line with the theme
of this year’s Global Tiger Day – “Tiger
and community co-existing in harmony for
mutual survival”. It will be held in Trongsa
in central Bhutan, with a community that
has been working on tiger conservation.
There will be a skid presented by the community
and a poster competition for students.
China: WWF will launch a pilot deer reintroduction
programme in Wangqing Nature Reserve in
northeast China, at a site where tracks
of both the Amur tiger and the Amur leopard
have been discovered frequently. This is
part of a bigger tiger conservation programme
aimed at recovering tiger prey density and
restoring the habitat. A special launch
ceremony will be held with officials, representatives
from partner organizations and media in
attendance.
Nepal: A series of public service announcements
will be launched to promote awareness of
the need to stop wildlife trade. There will
also be a formal declaration of the results
of the tiger count conducted in Bardia National
Park earlier in the year. WWF will also
hold an art competition for students in
the Terai Arc region.
