Tough Tiger Talk

Bengal tiger in Ranthambhore National Park, India. Photo by Rachel Samuel/Explore.org

Last week, global conservation leaders pledged nearly $330 million toward saving the world’s 3,200 remaining tigers. The financial commitments were made by the close of the four-day International Tiger Summit that drew many top foreign dignitaries as well as a few celebrities—all to raise awareness for the plight of the imperiled cat. (Read our blog about it here.)

But it remains to be seen how Leonardo DiCaprio’s personal $1-million donation will be used and how Naomi Campbell’s star power can propel serious conservation efforts. As this recap in the Guardian suggests, the summit did not produce a clear funding mechanism, and taking concrete actions will be left up to individual nations. The U.S. has pledged $400,000 to help save the Amur tiger of Russia and will play an important role in reducing demand for consumption of tiger parts.

The Tiger Summit was the first of its kind and will be followed by four more talks in the coming year. The ultimate goal of the Global Tiger Initiative is to double the tiger population by 2022.

The video below helps explain why tigers are in such grave danger. In places like India—the range state with the most remaining tigers—important habitat is being lost at an alarming rate in order to accommodate the growing human population. Belinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, also explains how politics and poaching are making conservation efforts even more challenging.

Thanks to Explore.org (a non-profit arm of the Annenberg Foundation) for sharing their videos with Defenders. Be sure to check out their interview with animal rights activist Maneka Ghandi, who is working to conserve wildlife across India.