Under the Spotlight

Most people probably don’t know this, but Malaysia actually lies at the center of the wildlife trade. Between a corrupt, un-enforced law against wildlife trade and an abundance of untouched rainforest, Malaysia is seemingly the perfect place to set up shop.

            With quickly disappearing rainforests, devoted to palm plantations and development, no one will really notice that all the animals that are left in the forests are going. Dozens of animals are killed every night just from crossing highways that cut through sections of forests called ‘corridors’. These corridors connect fragments of forest together and keep the gene pool diverse. These highways have been established with ‘underpasses’ for the animals to use – I don’t understand how they came up with that. Because the tapir that’s wandering through the forest is going to be all: ‘Oh look! It’s an underpass! I should use it so I don’t have to cross the highway and get squished’. Not to question an animal’s intelligence, but that is just not how they were made.

            On top of this, the government has only just started to show it has any sign of a spine, however small it may be. They convicted Anson Wong and have sent him to jail, which is to be applauded even though it was only for six months, with a fine of RM190,000. The Malaysian government is known for it’s corruption and nepotism, and it is feared that these wildlife traders are paying off any law enforcement officers that get their hands on them; on top of this, these traders must have some inside deals going on! Somebody within the government is in on this, and is maintaining Malaysia’s position as an easy place to do dirty business.

            Just imagine how booming the economy would be if the wildlife trade counted as a legal form of business? The illegal wildlife trade is currently the third most lucrative business there is – with prices being higher than they have ever been. A single tiger skin can fetch up to US$20,000, a tooth US$700.

            China, I continue to show you my gratitude for maintaining demand for such wonderful things. Really, thank you so much. (NOT.)

WORLD TIGER DAYYY

Well everyone, it’s WORLD TIGER DAY!

Originally started by The Phoenix Fund, a Russian NGO sponsored by Save the Tiger in 2003, and celebrated every last Sunday of September, World Tiger Day has slowly grown in popularity. It has been used as a worldwide way to spread tiger awareness. (Yeah, really not much of a history there)

Celebrate today by spreading awareness of the plight of the tiger, whether it’s by posting something online or wearing your striped t-shirt. Anything goes!

            Get your World Tiger Day avatar, done by the Bush Warriors, here: http://bushwarriors.wordpress.com/2010/09/23/celebrate-world-tiger-day-with-us-this-sunday-september-26th/ 

            Happy world tiger day everybody; remember to do your bit! :)

Good Stuff!

In other news: The BBC crew has rediscovered a population of tigers in Bhutan, at an elevation of over 4000 meters (13,000 feet)! http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8998000/8998042.stm  This is good news, even if no exact numbers are known; there is evidence that these tigers are breeding. Also good news for tigers– the finding of these tigers is helping with Panthera’s ‘The Tiger Corridor Initiative’.

            And: THE KINGPIN HAS BEEN CAUGHT AGAIN!! He was caught coming from Thailand, through Penang and KL and onto Jakarta, with 95 boa constrictors in his luggage. Who keeps almost a hundred snakes in their bags and think that airport security won’t notice? Kingpin has been arrested – and has done jail time -  in the US before under animal trafficking charges, among other things.

            The Kingpin is the world’s most notorious wildlife dealer. More on this bumface here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/asian-wildlife/christy-text

…This is revealing yet another problem within the fight to stop the illegal wildlife trade – corruption! But who’s surprised, really?

But yes, a good day for wildlife overall! J

The Idea is Born

I’m not sure where this idea came from, but it’s stuck. I’ve known that tigers have been in a critical condition for a long time now, but I didn’t realize just how bad it was. There are a total of around 3200 tigers left in the wild, worldwide. That’s approximately one tiger to every 1,875,000 people. Half of this population is in India, and only one third are breeding females. We could be losing tigers, one of the most well known animals worldwide, completely within my lifetime. They have been mercilessly attacked by people, facing habitat encroachment, limited prey and poaching for their skin, meat and bones. It’s not their time yet, that I’m sure of. That’s why I’m doing this. Together we can make a difference – this doesn’t have to be the last year of the tiger.