Tigers Said to be on "Verge of Extinction"

(AP)  The world's tiger population is declining fast despite efforts to save them, and new strategies are urgently needed to keep the species from dying out, international wildlife experts said Tuesday.

"We are assembled here to save tigers that are at the verge of extinction," Nepal's secretary of forest and soil conservation, Yuvaraj Bhusal, told a conference of tiger experts from 20 countries, including the 13 where wild tigers are still found.

An estimated 3,500 to 4,000 tigers now roam the world's forests, down from the more than 100,000 estimated at the beginning of the 20th century. All the remaining tigers are in Asia.

Participants at the conference, which also includes the World Bank, the World Wildlife Fund and other groups, plan to discuss strategies for tiger conservation, as well as challenges such as poaching, the trade of tiger parts and conflicts between tigers and local populations.

In a recent case, a Sumatran tiger died after being caught in a pig snare last week in Indonesia, the country's news agency, Antara, reported Monday. The report said the tiger died as it was being prepared for surgery Monday. Only about 250 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild.

"Despite our efforts in the last three decades, tigers still face threats of survival. The primary threat is from poaching and habitat loss," Nepal's prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal told the conference.

He said extreme poverty has also challenged efforts.

"Global and regional solidarity and corrective measures are more necessary now than ever to face these challenges," the prime minister said.

Bhusal, the forest secretary, said participants hope to make high-level policy makers in their countries more aware of the animal's possible extinction.

The 13 countries where wild tigers are still found include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The conference continues through Friday.

[ibzjem]

It has been recently estimated that if every person in the world was evenly spaced from one another and covering every piece of land inhabitable or not (i.e. including Antarctica), that there would only be about 148 meters (481 feet) between each and every one of us. As the population increases exponentially, this distance will decrease. Obviously, we can't live well in Antarctica and there are many places that people generally don't live. But then, neither do some of the most wonderful animals. We are rapidly encroaching on nature and destroying all other species habitats for ourselves. We are engaging in defensive battles using weapons and poison, and burning, cutting-down, and paving over so much forest, wetlands, meadows, etc. for social and economic growth. So, as grim as it sounds, I bet we will see extinctions within 1 or 2 life times of Tigers, Lions, and other large animals. Or at the very least they will only exist in captivity.

[parrottt1]

Sandy19731Wrong!! Look into his eyes.

[parrottt1]

Sandy19731Wrong!! Look into his eyes.

[Constitionalist]

Immediate executions for anyone caught buying, selling, or in posession of tiger parts. That should also help China with it's population problem. It's a two'fer.

[sandog1960]

Nice!

[sandy19731]

Maybe a friendlier picture of some tiger cubs would have worked better for this tragic story. That tiger looks like he is about to take a bite out of the photographer.

[sandog1960]

He's just showing his appreciation for the senseless, cruel interaction he's experienced with humans.

[pjk12354]

Hey, the Republicons don't have tigers in their back yard.......what the hell do they care?