Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Joshua Medley
Introduction
Although many different human activities can threaten or endanger a species, the greatest
problems occur because of habitat destruction. Illegal hunting and trading and introduction of
new species can also cause serious problems. Plants and animals are adapted to their habitats.
Some species can live in a variety of habitats, others can live in only a very specific type of
habitat. Either way, if its habitat is destroyed, a species may not be able to find food or shelter, so
it vanishes. As the human population increases, there is a greater need for food, places to live,
fuel, and many other things. To meet these needs, tropical forests, wetlands, grasslands, and other
natural areas are cleared, settled, and developed and their resources harvested for human use. In
the process, habitats are destroyed. Overharvesting is currently threatening species worldwide,
especially food fish species such as the cod. Sometimes native animals are endangered when a
new species is introduced into a habitat a large number of species are threatened by introduced
species, or "exotics," plants or animals that are introduced into a habitat and bring with them
diseases or the ability to compete more effectively than native species. The topic I have been
interested in for a long time is endangered species. Since thats a broad topic I decided to conduct
research about endangered tigers and the many species it contains. Since I was little I was
fascinated with animals and their exitance on earth. I was curious about how the tigers are being
preserved, how they are being killed and why they are being killed. I want to learn about each
endangered species of tiger and get those questions answered and come to a conclusion on what
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needs to be done to help these tigers multiply. Possibly come to a conclusion on what to do to
strengthen efforts that have already begun. Of the original nine subspecies of tigers, three have
become extinct in the last 80 years; an average of one every 20 years. It has been predicted all
tigers may become extinct in the wild within the next decade. Poaching, habitat loss and
fragmentation have reduced the global population of tigers from over 100,000 in the 1900s, to
less than 4,000 in the 1970s. Today, four of the remaining subspecies of tigers are considered
endangered by the IUCN, while two of the subspecies are considered critically endangered.
The total number of all the wild populations of the six-remaining subspecies of tigers (Bengal,
Indochinese, Malayan, Siberian, South China, and Sumatran) is estimated to be between 3,000
3,600 tigers.
Literature Reviews
Andrew Currie was the speaker of Protecting Endangered Species for Future Generations.
He talked about how the world is increasing in population and thats going to cause more land
use. The more land use the less land there will be available for wildlife. He wants us as people to
find ways to preserve all wildlife. Andrew Currie uses a quote from Tenzin Gyatso who was the
fourteenth Dalai Lama and is states, Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by
a sense of universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also to
other forms of life. Human population pressure is the main population to the destruction of
animal species due to human population growth. There are already millions of people starving in
this planet. What is in going to be like if we increase the human population pressure by another
fifty percent? There will be more disease and less food causing people to become more desperate
and start killing animals at an alarming rate. That also includes endangered species such as the
tiger. So, saving the wild tiger first starts with humans and the actions that will need to be taken
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in order to improve the population. Tigers dont have a representative to speak up for them so
their survival is dependent on our good will much like children. What can we do to save the
tigers? We can extend empathy to tigers like we would our own pets. We also can donate to
wildlife foundations that support endangered species such as the tiger as well wildlife
conservation.
Snatching Success from The Jaws of Failure in Tiger Conservation: Philip Nyhus
specializes in big cats and he is talking about how the most populated area is china, which is
where most of the tiger species live. He is also interested in human-wildlife conflict as well as
endangered species conservation. Tigers are being killed for game and their fur. We need to take
action. Tigers have a close relationship with humans. It took all of human history for us to go
from being ourselves an endangered species to reaching our first billion people in 1800. A
century later for us to get to 1.8 billion people. In the twentieth century, we got to over six billion
people, and thats when we had more of an impact on the coexisting tiger species. In that same
century, the tiger population in Asia went from an estimated one hundred thousand to five
thousand. Over that same time period much of the habitat that the wild tigers lived in as well as
the other different animal species began to disappear. As the population of people in china began
to rise, the demand for land began to rise especially with the Chinese and Indian population
reaching well over one billion. People need land for food, housing, cultivation, energy, and
transportation. Thats when the most significant challenges begin to occur while people and
wildlife try to coexist. Humans have always struggled to coexist with so called beasts such as
tigers because the people feel that they pose a threat to the safety of their families. Today, the
biggest problem besides fragmentation and degradation of habitat is that poachers and other
people are harvesting tigers for profit. Not only is that happening to tigers, this is happening to
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the animals that tigers prey on. The need for tiger products is driving them towards extinction
today. There are about three thousand tigers left in the wild and efforts are being made to produce
more tigers such as breeding facilities in Europe and zoos across the world. Some are poorly
handled and taken to tiger farms where they are being bred for tiger parts. Another problem is
that aside from the population of tigers that exist in the wild, there are many tigers held in
captivity around the world. This is a problem because by blending different subspecies of tigers
together, they become mutts. By becoming mutts that havent been in the wild, theyre useless in
the wild. White tigers are also becoming more prevalent in captivity and they are also useless in
the wild because of their white fur and mainly because white tigers are simply not a subspecies
of tiger. Their white fur eliminates any chance of them being able to use camouflage to sneak up
on prey. If they cant sneak up on prey, then they wont be able to get food which causes
starvation. Fortunately, there has been a lot of attention that has been given to the challenge and
the failure of our protection of wild tigers. Many conservation organizations along with many
governments around the world are working together and planning to double the population of
Save ourselves by saving tigers: Steve Winter at TEDxGateway 2013 Steve winters
discusses his work as a photographer for national geographic. He talks about what hes seen
throughout his time as a photographer. He took photos of tigers and many other animals along
with the poachers. Steve begins to discuss his journey through the jungle of India with his
camera taking photos of what people back home dont see on television. Tigers are being killed
for profit so the poor can afford the things that they need. Their habitat is being destroyed for
gold mining to possibly create a better life for the people. Steve caught pictures of tigers up close
so people around the world can have a better opinion of tigers and possibly help save the tiger.
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People see pictures everyday whether its on Instagram, Facebook, or twitter. What better way to
raise awareness to the younger generation? He captured pictures of the palm oil plantations in
India which were damaging the habitat and is a big reason why the Sumatra tigers (Tiger
subspecies) are on the verge of extinction. Steve believes that if we save the top predator in the
ecosystem (which is the tigers in this case) you can save an entire ecosystem.
Saving the tiger with half a flush by Rohit Varma of TEDxBangalore was the title of this
video. Rohit is a professional photographer from India that has grew up around the jungle and
has experienced the many aspects of it. He takes pictures of many animals in the jungle including
the tiger. He talks about how key nature is to earths survival. He grew up in a village near the
jungle so hes experienced the wildlife there first hand and thats how his love for the wilderness
started. Mining has really taken off in India in the recent years which is not only destroying the
habitat, its destroying the air around it. India loses almost 7.3 million hectares of forest every
year due to deforestation. The forest is important because is benefits the air that every mammal
breathes, it provides food as well as benefits the water for all life, and it provides shelter.
Humans can make a difference by owning up to it and believing that we can make a difference
Saving the tigers of Bangladesh: Henry Churchill at TEDxDhaka. Henry discusses the
importance of the tiger and its beauty to the world. He also covers the reason why tigers are
being killed and the history of their population. Three out of eight subspecies of tigers have
already gone extinct. In the 1930s the Bali tiger went extinct, in the 1950s the Caspian tiger
disappeared, and in the 1980s the Javon Tiger went extinct. Thousands if Bengal tigers were
poached in India in the 1990s. Imagine a future without tigers. In about ten years the entire tiger
species could go extinct. Tigers need a healthy ecosystem to thrive in, meaning that they need
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thousands of miles of vegetation to roam in. Bangladesh is home of the largest population of
tiger in the world holding around five hundred tigers which is important because it holds the
Saving animals, saving the future by John Linehan at TEDxYouth at Beacon Street John
talks about saving wild animals from endangerment. He picks animals from the zoo and tells
stories about them. He slowly relates that back to preserving their habitats. Not only do tigers go
through turmoil and are close to extinction, the animals around them are in the same condition.
Zoos around the country are not only trying to get people to enjoy the presence of tigers, they are
Wildlife conservation by Hilary D. Claggett contains articles, book excerpts, and other
explores topics such as threats to wildlife, legislation, and politics, managing ecosystems, and the
changing mission of zoos. First I thought politics were in the background of conservation then I
thought cant be true but now I think politics and wildlife go hand and hand. I would support the
authors claims based on the efforts of conservation that has already been in place.
Can we save the Tiger? A book By Martin Jenkins and Vicky White. Tigers are in danger
of disappearing altogether, joining the dodo, the marsupial wolf, the great auk, and countless
other animals we will never see again. Using the experiences of a few endangered species as
examples, Martin Jenkins highlights the ways human behavior can either threaten or conserve the
amazing animals that share our planet. Vicky White's portraits of rare creatures offer a glimpse of
nature's grace and beauty and give us a powerful reason to preserve it. This book really just
There is an issue that is still a big gap. In what ways are we trying to preserve tigers and
helping them multiply so they can be released into the wild? A solution could be that countries
should come together along with the WWF and discuss conservation techniques for the wild
tiger. The best option is to hold a specific amount tigers in captivity and breed them for a certain
amount of years so the population can increase. The study can be conducted is the mental and
behavioral effects of the tigers being held in captivity verses the tigers born in the wild. They
could also study the behaviors of the tigers after they are released back into the wild. The results
could be used for future projects and the results could possibly change how researchers and
Conclusion
I came to a conclusion but it falls under a common question. Why should we care? Let's
look at it this way. The Earth functions like an incredible machine. Biodiversity is the many
parts of the machine working together. Plants and animals make up the individual parts. When
one part is damaged or removed completely the machine can no longer function. Where will we
be when the Earth no longer works? If tigers are completely wiped out, the ecosystem would be
permanently damaged. Some animals will overpopulate due to the lack of tigers. That will cause
a shortage in vegetation. It causes a domino effect but we are the only ones that can stop this.
References
Currie, A. (2010, October 12). Protecting endangered species for future generations
v=a7MeCPfaPR0&list=WL&index=16
Nyhus, P. (2013, March 21). Snatching Success from The Jaws of Failure in Tiger
v=8AnOzjdEPiI
Winter, S. (2014, January 17). Save ourselves by saving tigers. Retrieved February 14,
Varma, R. (2016, April 13). Saving the tiger with half a flush. Retrieved February 14,
Churchill, H. (2012, October 05). Saving the tigers of Bangladesh. Retrieved February
Linehan, J. (2015, February 19). Saving animals, saving the future. Retrieved February
Jenkins, M., & White, V. (2011). Can we save the Tiger? Somerville, MA: Candlewick
Press.
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