The Chinese Year of the Tiger came to an end on 3rd February, 2011. As part of the Year of the Tiger, a major conservation effort has taken place in China to protect the remaining Tigers in this region. According to the most recent WWF survey, only 3,200 Tigers exist worldwide. In the last 70 years, the Bali, Javan, and Caspian subspecies of Tiger have all become extinct. The six remaining subspecies – Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, South China, and Sumatran – live only in Asia, and all are threatened by poaching and habitat loss. I was able to take this shot at the Tiergarten in Nuremberg. The tiger seemed transfixed by the lens and roared directly at me. Fortunately, we were separated by water.
Did you know? Wild tiger numbers have fallen by about 95% over the past 100 years!
Check out this cool interactive map of the twelve regions the WWF has identified as key to protecting the world’s remaining Tigers:
http://www.tangeloimages.com/display/i5DdDhH%255DUuk9HIydlLquVwXg6EpGyz1QeQ2NFC5gOf4%253D
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