Many of us think we know tigers: these beautiful cats star in wildlife films and TV ads selling products from premium gasoline to sugar-coated breakfast cereal; from celebrated books, we know Mowgli’s enemy Shere Khan and Winnie the Pooh’s friend Tigger; and kids’ bedrooms around the world are strewn with cuddly tiger likenesses.
But do we realize how endangered this familiar feline face has become in the wild? Do we understand how human beings have driven these magnificent creatures toward extinction? And are we ready to do something about it?
The leading threat to tigers is the illegal trade in wildlife. Poachers hunt them for their skins, and for their body parts. Traditional medicine attaches many health benefits to tiger parts, especially the bones. Loss of habitat and diminishing prey animals available to tigers also take a toll on the viability of this iconic species.
As a result, tigers have been eliminated from huge areas of Asia, where they once roamed far and wide, and their numbers continue to fall dramatically. Conservationists are trying to protect fragmented populations in countries including India, Thailand and Russia. Now there are only a few thousand tigers left in the wild; more exist in captivity in China and the US than in the wild across all their ranges.
More than half the wild tigers are in India, where a recent conservation drive has helped tiger numbers recover. But poaching and trafficking remain a serious problem. A map of big cat seizures shows that India is a hub of the illegal tiger trade. And an Indian government website recorded the deaths of 100 tigers last year, surpassing the total of 69 in 2015, as well as the seizures of tiger body parts.
Sadly, tigers are just one of many species being pushed to the brink of extinction by wildlife crime. Elephants and rhinos are the other well-known victims – killed in their thousands for their ivory and horns. But it also threatens many others you might not even have heard of: pangolins (the most trafficked mammal in the world), helmeted hornbills (whose bills are used due to their similarity to ivory), and rosewood trees are just a few of the lesser known species.
It is not just about the animals and plants themselves. Wildlife crime is eroding Earth’s biodiversity and the natural systems on which we all depend. It is robbing many developing countries of their natural heritage, stealing the assets of local communities that could form the basis of thriving tourism businesses. It is fuelling corruption and corroding governance. Organized criminal syndicates are increasingly involved, spreading insecurity.
This must stop, and that is why I am supporting an unprecedented United Nations campaign, led by UN Environment, to pull together all those working against this menace. It is not only about governments, international agencies, conservation groups and Interpol. The campaign needs every one of us to do what we can, in our own way, to counter the illegal trade in all its forms, from the poaching, to the trafficking and the buying.
The “Wild for Life” campaign aims to build awareness of the illegal trade in wildlife and embolden everyone to take action; to use our spheres of influence to communicate, educate, encourage better policy, better enforcement of existing laws and to end the demand that is driving the trade. This can mean shunning traditional medicine, whose benefits are highly contested; shopping carefully to avoid illegally sourced products; not keeping pets that have been illegally taken from the wild; and supporting conservation initiatives that press authorities to get serious against wildlife crime.
Each of us must take a personal “zero tolerance” approach to wildlife crime, and encourage all those close to us – whether family, friends or colleagues - to do the same. Start with something fun by going to www.wildfor.life and find your kindred species. I am a tiger! What are you?
Humans love a challenge, and the challenge here is to create enough momentum through individual actions to change our collective behavior, change what is acceptable. In this way, we can make sure that wildlife crime ends and that the tigers we know so well – from the cartoon characters to the advertising icons – don’t come to symbolize our collective failure to take proper care of our planet.
Jacqueline Fernandez is a leading Bollywood actress who supports many wildlife conservation initiatives and is a UN Environment Wild for Life Campaign Leader. You can get involved in the #wildforlife campaign at www.wildfor.life
