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Tigers Hold Their Ground

Just eight years ago, wildlife biologists predicted that tigers would soon disappear from the Earth. Illegal hunting and reckless destruction of tiger habitats had brought the big cats to the edge of extinction. From 1900 until 1994, the world's tiger population fell from 100,000 to around 7,000. At that rate, environmentalists warned, the only tigers left by 2000 might be the ones in our books, poems, paintings and imaginations.

Thank goodness the world took that warning seriously. In late November, tiger experts gathered in Washington, D.C., to hear a new report from the Save the Tiger Fund. The good news: Tiger populations have stopped shrinking, and working to protect them is now a way of life in nations where they roam. "The year 2000, once predicted as the date of reckoning for tigers in the wild, has thankfully come and gone," said John Seidensticker, chairman of the Save the Tiger Fund and senior curator at the National Zoo. "The tiger survives today thanks to hard work and public support."

Wildly Successful Efforts

In the southeastern corner of Russia, 350 to 400 Amur tigers (also called Siberian tigers) survive. That is almost a miracle. Biologists say that from 1990 to 1993, hunters illegally killed one-third of all Amur tigers! They sold tiger parts to be used in Asian medicines.

Now, a program called Operation Amba hires the former hunters to help protect the cats. At the region's new Tiger Day festivals, kids dress in stripes and whiskers to celebrate their pride in helping tigers survive.

Millions of dollars support such programs throughout Asia, but some of the most successful efforts come from the hearts of those who love tigers. In India, tigers share their habitat with humans. The Karnataka Tiger Conservation Project is helping some Indians find homes outside tiger habitats, which will benefit both species. Unpaid workers lead this project. "It takes a number of committed people," says conservationist Ullas Karanth, the project's leader. "That can't be bought with money."

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