Tigers: Bringing Countries Together

Photo Credit: Kim Sullivan Photography

With an estimated population of only 500, the Siberian Tiger is one of the most endangered species on the planet. The tigers habitat covers a vast section of Asia with a number of different countries it calls home.
Making protection in the wild a challenge to say the least.
In an effort to keep this species from disappearing forever, Russia and China have agreed to set up the first ever cross - border protection zone for a species of animal.
"... Transnational protection area will provide a wider and healthier habitat for Siberian tigers and other endangered species, such as the Far East leopard," states Yu Changchun of Jilins Forestry Department.
Siberian Tigers have been hunted to such low numbers for various reasons; their hide, meat, they pose a threat to local cattle, but it is their holistic properties to the Chinese people that cause the most harm. Killing a Siberian Tiger for medical purposes has been made illegal in 1993 but officials state that it extremely difficult to prevent all deaths. Out of the 500 tigers, only 20 are surviving in China. BBC.UK

A -Potential- Haven Found

A network of parks and wildlife preserves were found to be capable of housing as many as 2,o0o tigers in Thailands Western Forest Complex. The 6,900 square miles of forest currently holds a population of an estimated 720 tigers but can definately adopt more if the park can better safeguard the large cats and their prey from poachers.
"Thailand has the potential to be a global centerpiece for tiger conservation," said Dr. Anak Pattanavibool of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Thailand Program and a coauthor of the study. "This study underscores that there is an opportunity for tigers to thrive in Thailand - provided tigers and their major prey species are protected from poachers." Source.