Summary: Tigers are one of the most majestic mammals on the face of the earth, but they are no match for humans. There has been estimates done that say only about 3200 tigers are left in the wild, with about 5000 left in captivity. All six sub-species are either endangered and becoming extinct or are already extinct. The main reason for the majority lose of the tigers is humans. Tiger hunting was a ancient sport with royalty keeping them as pets. Also some say that the tigers claw has speical supernatural powers. Everything on the tiger some say has some type of high price value, from their fur to even their eyes. Another huge factor to the endangerment of the tigers is the lose of natural habitat. Humans have been tearing down and moving into where the tigers naturally live and forcing them out. The tiger are natural pedators and can save themselves from any natural disater, we as humans are something they can not save themselves from.
Opinion: I am shocked to see just how little tigers we have left on this earth. 7000 may seem like alot left but we are losing so many as we talk that if we do not do anything, we will soon have none left. I think us as a nation need to start paying attention to the endangered species we have because soon enough they will be gone and then everyone will care when we can do nothing about it.
Questions:
1. Why won't people stop hunting the tigers even though they are endangered and are going to die out?
2. What can we do to stop the hunting of the tigers?
3. What are the two main reasons of the endangerment of the tigers?
4. Why have the tigers been hunted to almost extinction and what is going on to try and stop it?
By: Kate Hollenbeck
I personally think tigers are really fascinating creatures and they have a unique sense of confidence. Its devastating that only 3200 tigers are left in the wild, with about 5000 left in captivity. This may look like a big number, but if you really think about it, it's nothing. If you the think about all the species of the world and the great amounts they are found in, a few thousand is close to worthless compared to other species. Action needs to be taken at a faster and more efficient rate to save the remaining tigers. It would be horrible for Earth to lose such unique and remarkable animals like the tiger. Today it is the tiger, tomorrow it will be another species. If our world as humans put the effort in, I bet the tigers that are left could be protected and we could even help the population increase. Tigers are a part of the Earth's biodiversity and taking them out is not only decreasing that, but it is leading to more and more extinctions day after day.
ReplyDeleteExpansion
http://www.tigersincrisis.com/
This link above is of a site dedicated to the endangerment of tigers. It shows which out of the eight original tiger species have already become extinct and when. It talks about the populations of the tigers and how they are being impacted. This website provides information about many different types of tigers, the tigers in news, and ways to save them.
http://www.savetigersnow.org/solutions
The link above is a site of an organization dedicated to saving the tigers. The organization is WWF and the website provides their goals and different stories of tigers being in the news. It even shows why our societies should care about tigers and not ignore the situations.
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/tigers/about_tigers/tiger_population/
This final link is of a picture of a timeline graph showing the decline in tiger populations and what is expected to happen years from now.
I find this problem to be very sad because the tiger is one of the most beautiful creatures on this earth. I cannot believe that there are only eight thousand two hundred tiger left in the world and most of them are in captivity. The worst of all is that they are becoming extinct because of us humans. People are killing them for money and are taking away their habitats (answer to question 3). They have created a law to help end this problem but people just ignore it. If this problem keeps up, my kids will not be able to see a real tiger; they will only see pictures. I hope that one day my kids will be able to see a tiger whether in the wild or a zoo.
ReplyDeleteExpansion: http://www.savetigersnow.org/problem
1.Why do people want tigers so much?
2.How can we rebuild the tiger population?
3.How would the ecosystem be effected if tigers went extinct?
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteThis article was heartbreaking. I love animals and hate to see all the tigers dying off. It gets makes me mad that humans are the main cause of their endangerment. Humans do not need to use tigers the way the do today. It could be easy to save this species, but humans are selfish and do not care about hurting other species like the tigers. This reminds me of what our homework was about tonight. We had to read the endangered species act and research a species that was endangered. It made me feel upset to read about so many plants and animals that are near extinction. The worst part is that the main cause of many species endangerment is humans. Humans need to work harder on protecting and preserving endangered species.
Expansion:
http://www.earthsendangered.com/list.asp
This is a link to a list of all the endangered animal worldwide. It is a pretty long list and sad to know that our children might not see these animals in their lifetime.
I agree with everyone else - I am appalled at the population of tigers. They are extremely gorgeous and interesting creatures, and it is a shame that people would rather hunt them down for money rather than admiring their beauty and preserving the species. People are too selfish for hunting these tigers, knowing that they are endangered and on the brink of becoming extinct. I think even more work needs to be done in the attempts of preservation for this animal species, and the upholding of a high biodiversity.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to question #1 - http://poachingjady.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-do-people-hunt-tigers.html
People hunt tigers for various reasons, such as to incorporate into medicines, eat, or use for fashion purposes. In traditional Chinese medicine, tiger bones are necessary ingredient, which takes a toll on the tiger population. Also, they are hunted for their meat and skins. Another main reason for the poaching of these cats is for fashion. In India, tigers were hunted for the Tibetans, who wear the tiger as a traditional dress. The fur and skins of these tigers can also be used a home furnishings, as gruesome as that sounds. Overall, there are many money-centered reasons for the poaching of these tigers, which is why people will not give up killing them even though they are extinct.