Spring 2013 Issue Two
TigerTime News
The online magazine of the TigerTime Campaign
TigerTime celebrates its second birthday! Project updates from Thailand, India and Russia Your chance to own an original tiger drawing by your favourite celeb! How you can get involved and save the tiger in the wild
Welcome to the second edition of TigerTime News Dear Supporter, TigerTime is celebrating its second birthday! Founded by British wildlife artist and conservationist, David Shepherd CBE, TigerTime was launched to raise awareness and funds to save the tiger in the wild. With only an estimated 3,200 wild tigers left TigerTime was created to increase awareness and funds for the vital conservation projects that the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation supports in India, Thailand and the Russian Far East. David, for one, refuses to stand by and watch the tiger become extinct.
CONTACT Chantelle Henderson TigerTime DSWF Saba House 7 Kings Road Shalford Guildford Surrey GU4 8JU Tel: 01483 272323 Email: dswf@tigertime.info
Join us online! www.tigertime.info
www.facebook.com/TigerTimeNow
www.twitter.com/TigerTimeNow
TigerTime would like to thank Marks & Spencer for kindly sponsoring our brand new website at www.tigertime.info.
The campaign works by engaging new audiences through social media networks around the world. Its aim is to spread the word about the plight of this iconic big cat and to inspire people to join the fight to save the tiger by campaigning for changes to laws governing the trade in endangered species and raising funds to support the Foundation’s vital work in the field. Thanks to your help, the campaign now has over 226,000 supporters. But we still need to do more - so please help by continuing to spread the word about the wild tiger.
Next steps TigerTime has been fighting to put an end to the trade in all tiger parts from all sources and gaining signatures on the petition www.bantigertrade.com. However, at the recent Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting, the efforts of conservationists and the hopes of tiger lovers were dashed when tigers were given only15 minutes of discussion at this critical two week meeting. TigerTime was shocked by the lack of concern demonstrated for the wild tiger at this important international meeting and we are determined that this does not happen again.
But, we need YOU to help us. On our new website we have a “Contact your local MP” section with all the details of how you can help. We need you to write to your MP and make sure that tigers are firmly on the agenda at the next CITES meeting in 2016. You’ll find all the information you need at: http://tigertime.info/take-action/contact-your-local-mp/your-local-mp Thank you for your incredible support. The past two years would not have been such a success without you. The TigerTime family keeps on growing and is making a huge difference in the protection of the endangered tiger. Whether you have donated, bought merchandise or simply signed up to the campaign, we would not be here without you. So please join us with our latest action and help us put pressure on the world’s governments to save the wild tiger.
TigerTime is a campaign run by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation a registered UK Charity No: 1106893 TigerTime would like to thank all the photographers who donate their images, especially Michael Vickers. Join TigerTime by signing up at www.tigertime.info
Thank you. Chantelle Henderson Campaign Manager
Celebs join Baha to fight for the tiger
Disappointed by the paltry 15 minutes given to discuss the plight of the tiger at the recent CITES meeting in Bangkok, the TigerTime team, including Baha our eye-catching new puppet, marched to Westminster to demand more time for tigers. Celebrity supporters Lucy Pinder and SarahJane Honeywell (pictured above) were joined by TV vet Zara Boland, MPs Kerry McCarthy and Cathy Jamieson and Ian Knox of the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Charm, which investigates wildlife crime in London.
their numbers have fallen so low. Please take a few minutes and sign up to TigerTime, it’s the least any conscientious animal lover can do.” “Fifteen minutes simply isn’t enough to give to the tiger on the international stage,” says TigerTime Campaign Manager, Chantelle Henderson, “and we urge anyone who cares about the tiger to contact their MP or government and demand more time for them at the next CITES meeting.”
You can find out more about how to contact your local MPs Lucy Pinder said: “If you love tigers on TigerTime’s fabulous new please ask your government to website: www.tigertime.info Please help us keep up the pressure by writing to your local MP and by spreading the message to family, friends and colleagues.
Images courtesy of the celebrities and Rowena Chowdrey
make tigers a priority at the next CITES meeting. See more on the website at www.tigertime.info. We have a responsibility to ensure the survival of these magnificent big cats. We should be ashamed that
Lucy Pinder, Cathy Jamieson MP, Ian Knox of the Met Police, Kerry McCarthy MP, Sarah-Jane Honeywell and Zara Boland joined the call for more time for tigers!
Join TigerTime by signing up at www.tigertime.info
Own a Celebrity Tiger Postcard You can support us by bidding on one of our fabulous celebrity tiger postcards that will be exhibited at the Mall Galleries this summer. Supporters, including Joanna Lumley, Hugh Bonneville, Sir Michael Parkinson, Deborah Meaden, Jon Richardson and Slash will have their work on show to raise funds for our tiger projects. The work will be on display at the Mall Galleries, London, SW1 from the 4th - 8th June 10am-5pm (4pm Saturday). You’ll be able to bid online too so this is a great opportunity to own some celebrity artwork and raise money to support our projects in India, Thailand and Russia. Please bid generously! Full catalogue available at: http://bit.ly/CelebTigerAuction
By Peter Egan
By Jody Craddock
By Sandi Toksvig
By Alan Titchmarsh
JOIN US! There’s lots of great wildlife art at our annual week of wildlife art at the Mall Galleries, London SW1 June 4-8. Entry is FREE By Joanna Lumley
By Deborah Meaden
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There are two options - one will make us feel good and is easily achievable - the other is short sighted and will be a generational disgrace. Let’s choose to be the generation who see an increase in the number of tigers living in the wild - not the generation who stand by as they dwindle and die out. Marcus Brigstocke
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Join TigerTime by signing up at www.tigertime.info
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Eradicating species through greed and arrogance is a depressing part of our history and that it threatens to be a part of our future is an embarrassment to us all. I have signed up at www.tigertime.info and would ask anyone reading this to do the same. Jon Richardson
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Unbelievably, there are only 3,200 wild tigers, and those numbers are threatened further by human actions. I support TigerTime and their efforts to stop the killing and the senseless trade in tiger parts. Please get involved by going to www.bantigertrade.com. Rick Edwards
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The tiger is one of the most endangered of the big cats and it is simply being slaughtered out of existence. I can’t sit still and allow this to happen.The more aware people are, the more we can pull together to do something to save this magnificent animal. Slash
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New Celebrity Supporters
Tiger Project news
INDIA: The work we fund in Assam Kaziranga - designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 - is home to approximately 120 wild tigers (making it one of their last strongholds), wild elephants and approximately 3/4 of the world’s last surviving Indian one-horned rhinos. TigerTime and DSWF are the sole funders of the vital, state-of-the-art communications network, providing mobile handsets and base stations for all forest officers monitoring this important wildlife refuge. We also fund equipment and anti-poaching teams in other wildlife sanctuaries in Assam, including Orang and Pabitora. This includes wildlife crime networking and undercover investigations into the poaching and smuggling of endangered wildlife from Assam to neighbouring consumer markets, particularly China. Knowing the number and density of the tiger and prey populations is crucial for good habitat and resource management so we fund a vital camera-trapping programme which provides important information, not just for the park teams but also for the national tiger census. In 2009, DSWF secured a BBC Wildlife Fund grant to buy and launch an anti-poaching floating boat camp, adding a second one the following year. These now patrol the Brahmaputra River which forms the northern border of Kaziranga.
Photo credit: Firoz Ahmed
Protecting the wild tiger
Emerging threats in Kaziranga DAMS - The Brahmaputra river runs through Kaziranga National
Park. The animals including tigers, rhinos and elephants have natural instincts to move to higher land during the monsoon as water levels rise. However a large threat has arrived as China builds more dams upstream to produce hydro-electric power. Operation of these dams will disturb the natural water levels and the migration of animals.
HIGHWAY - There is currently a small road South of Kaziranga
which runs alongside the park. There are plans to make this road a highway which will greatly interfere with the annual migration of animals across the road to the highlands of the Naga Hills during the monsoon - putting tigers, eles and rhino at risk from speeding vehicles.
TigerTime will keep you updated on these threats and how we plan to mitigate them.
JORBA increases crime-busting success Jorba - the TigerTime funded sniffer dog working for the K-9 dog squad - has been instrumental in assisting the forest officials in Kaziranga to arrest 30 suspected poachers since September 2011. Jorba, a Belgian Malinois, trained in detection and tracking work, has been able to track the scent from the scene of the crime from as far as 8km and helped unearth vital clues. In April 2013, two poachers were caught on TigerTime funded camera traps in Kaziranga. The poachers, fearing detection, pulled out the cameras and threw them into a wetland in a desperate attempt to preserve their identities. Jorba caught the scent of these poachers and managed to track down the camera where the photo below was discovered intact. “We are delighted with the result and are following up enquiries to bring these poachers to book,” says Bibhab Talukdar of the TigerTime supported Aaranyak Society. Thank you to everyone who supports Jorba and his handler. Following Jorba’s amazing success we are keen to secure extra funding for additional dogs to work in the area. Please consider donating to this fantastic project: http://www.davidshepherd.org/help-us/tiger-time/donate/
The two poachers caught on our camera traps in April 2013
Jorba and Secretary General of Aaranyak, Bibhab Talukdar
At the end of a hard day, Jorba’s handler, Anil Das, helps him across the river in Kaziranga
Jorba sniffing out the criminals
Join TigerTime by signing up at www.tigertime.info
Tiger Project news
THAILAND: Our project in Thap Lan Death of a Ranger The death of a ranger, killed by poachers while on a regular tiger monitoring exercise in Pang Sida National Park, Thailand, is a stark reminder of just how dangerous the work that TigerTime supports can be and the lengths that poachers will go to to make money.
Mr. Tawee Choomyong, killed in action protecting Thai forests the day after this photo was taken
The incident happened on March 14th when the team found fresh evidence of illegal logging. They found eight people hauling out the precious timber and a confrontation occurred during which one ranger, Mr. Tawee Choomyong aged 33, was shot at close range. During the melee the criminals fled leaving Tawee dying and his colleagues outmanned and unable to pursue.
Due to the topography of the area regular walkie-talkies do not have sufficient range and there are no mobile phone relays in the park. As a result, news of Tawee’s death and help for his team did not arrive until the following morning. Police are conducting an investigation into the killing of Tawee and the illegal logging. The Director-General of the Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation attended Tawee’s funeral along with rangers and staff. TigerTime and DSWF sent condolences on behalf of the Foundation and everyone who supports this vital work in Thailand.
A tiger’s life caught on camera
Rangers back from a patrol
A tiger’s life is always on the edge - they have to remain constantly vigilant. Apart from the constant threat of poachers, tigers have to defend their territories and this is when they are most likely to sustain a life-threatening injury. Often, after two males have been recorded by camera traps at the same location and time, we see that one or both are wounded - injuries range from small scratches to large open wounds. Amazingly, all seem to heal rapidly often without leaving a trace.
The primary aim of TigerTime’s funding in Thailand is to support the professional development and training of anti-poaching techniques for park rangers enabling them to build their capacity to protect wildlife populations, especially tigers. Rangers are also being trained to collect and record presence and distribution data for mammal species during the course of routine patrols which will allow park managers to identify core areas where anti-poaching initiatives are most needed.
Recently, in Thap Lan, we were horrified to see that one of the males familiar to us had apparently lost an eye. We recorded him with an eye closed, possibly missing, and not long after that he disappeared altogether. An injury such as this would affect his binocular vision and ability to judge distance, essential to successful hunting. Luckily, after three months he re-appeared, this time with the eye open and apparently normal. We can only assume that it was an injury that healed naturally and although he was the loser of that particular battle for his territory he survived for us to tell his tale.
Project Background
Along with ranger training,TigerTime is also supporting awareness raising in the community about why the forest complex - of which Thap Lan is part - is important as a World Heritage Site. This includes visits to schools immediately adjacent to the park. TigerTime funds staff that have extensive experience of conducting educational activities in Thai schools and are able to reach the children of poachers and influence their attitudes before they become involved in poaching themselves. Breaking the poaching cycle is critical to the long-term survival of the important wildlife populations in the forest complex.
Join TigerTime by signing up at www.tigertime.info
Camera traps give us an invaluable glimpse at tiger behaviour and health
Tiger Project news
RUSSIA: Vital protection for the Amur tiger
A new fairy tale start for Cinderella
For those of you who have been following the story of the orphaned Amur tiger cub, Cinderella and who generously donated to her care, you’ll be pleased to hear that she has now been released back into the wild! Cinderella, weighing a healthy 94 kg was driven for an18 hour, 600 mile journey to take her and tiger specialists to the Upper Bastak River release site. The specialists opened the trailer door and, after a three second pause, the tigress jumped out of the trailer and disappeared into the thick forest.
Cinderella being checked over for release
Specialists are monitoring Cinderella’s movements with the use of radio telemetry and have already received the first signals from her radio collar. She is moving towards the area where the presence of an adult male tiger has been recorded. Bastak Nature Reserve has plenty of food and is a protected area ensuring the best possible chance for peace and good protection for Cinderella. Five more tiger cubs are now being looked after at the Amur Tiger Rehabilitation Centre in Alekseevka village, Primorye. Conservationists are alarmed as no one is sure why so many cubs have been orphaned. Investigations are underway but it is most likely that their mothers were killed by poachers. Blame is not only placed on the increased stimulation of the trade in tiger parts by consumer countries such as China but also on the State Duma (the council responsible for setting Russia’s legislative agenda) which has procrastinated for too long over whether to make the capturing, trade and transportation of rare and endangered species a criminal offence. However President Putin submitted a law to the Duma in March that will increase penalties for people caught poaching or trafficking endangered species, including Amur tigers. In May, the law was signed.
Cinderella
TigerTime would like to thank everyone who supported Cinderella and donated to help keep her alive through the winter. It is a wonderful success that she has been released and we will now watch her progress with great interest.
Our work in Russia
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent relaxation of border controls, the Russian Far East has become a major source of illegal wildlife products to satisfy the consumer markets across the border, especially in China. By the winter of 1993, officials estimated that 60 rare Amur tigers were being poached every year and that numbers had crashed to fewer than 100 due to a loss of habitat, prey base and poaching. The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation immediately responded to the crisis helping to save the Amur tiger from certain extinction. And, since 1994, has been jointly funding anti-poaching activities, which are now run by local Russian NGO Phoenix Fund.
One of the last 450 wild Amur tigers
Today, from its base in Vladivostok, Phoenix Fund supports professionally trained and well-equipped anti-poaching teams who regularly patrol two national parks - Primorye and South of Khabarovsky krai - and investigate smuggling and conflict tiger cases. By the project’s tenth anniversary, the wild tiger population had climbed back to a sustainable level of almost 450. Rangers in the field deal with harsh conditions Join TigerTime by signing up at www.tigertime.info
Wild and
What we’re Donate here:
http://bit.ly/TigerTimeDonate
This April we were shocked by a sickening Zoo, Indonesia (left). Her awful living condi of why we work so hard to keep tigers in tiger in its wild habitat as these photos by t There are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild
Free
e fighting for...
g photo of the Sumatran tiger, Melani taken in Surabaya itions and ill health appalled us and was a stark reminder the wild. There is nothing more beautiful than a healthy the brilliant wildlife photographer Michael Vickers show. - PLEASE help TigerTime protect them.
Join us - join in
Tiger Project news
Funding Matters INDIA - £35,000 to support work in Assam protecting the Indian rhino, tiger and
elephant populations. A further £14,000 for undercover operations to expose and prevent illegal smuggling of wildlife products. £15,000 for the Wildlife Trust of India’s Rapid Action Project reacting to emergency wildlife situations.
RUSSIA - £26,000 to support the fight to save the last Amur tigers through antipoaching and community education programmes.
THAILAND - £5,000 to support the work of the FREELAND Foundation providing ranger training and community outreach in vital tiger habitat.
WILDLIFE CRIME INVESTIGATION - £57,000 to support the work of the
Environmental Investigation Agency, Freeland Foundation and Dr Roz Reeve exposing the illegal trade in tiger parts.
Donate here:
Give us a text! There is an easy way to donate to help save the wild tiger! Send us a text saying “Tigr11 £10” to 70070. Available in the UK only. You can also donate £5 in the same way.
http://bit.ly/TigerTimeDonate
Our Yorkshire Warrior Keep on running... TigerTime supporter Jason Millward took part in the Yorkshire Warrior on the 20th April. The course is one of the longest, toughest and extreme obstacle courses with 10 miles of running, climbing, crawling, ice baths, hay mountains and upstream runs. “I hope that doing this helped to raise some money and awareness for TigerTime. I wore my Tiger Time t-shirt with pride and got a few cheers of ‘come on tiger’ on the way round. It was certainly an experience - I don’t think i’ve ever been so muddy in my life but it was all for a good cause!” said Jason.
Supporter Steven Wilson took part in the Dublin Marathon – a gruelling 26 mile run in aid of the tiger. Steven said that “the marathon was great fun from start to finish.” His fantastic effort raised over £1,000 for TigerTime, a truly amazing amount that has made such a difference in funding our vital projects in India, Thailand and Russia.
Dance for tigers! The Animal Protection Society at the University of Essex (left) raised over £60 for TigerTime through a cake stall and selling TigerTime wristbands. They also collected signatures for our www.bantigertrade.com petition. The main objective was to raise awareness within the university about the plight of the tiger and they did this by holding a flash mob to the song “Tiger Feet” by Mud!
Thank you to all our fundraisers! Help us save the tiger
www.facebook.com/tigertime www.twitter.com/tigertimenow
Please donate to help us fund our vital tiger field projects in India, Thailand and Russia. The tiger is in a desperate situation - we need your help to keep tigers safe and living in the wild where they belong.
Donate: http://www.davidshepherd.org/help-us/tiger-time/donate/
Join TigerTime by signing up at www.tigertime.info
Join us - join in
ADOPT A TIGER TODAY!
Adopting a tiger really can make the difference between life and death, not just for the animal you adopt but for all their cousins in the wild too. Adopt Zhorik our lovely rescued Amur tiger and help support him and our work to save the wild tiger. Without your help now, there may be no future for the tiger in the wild. It’s so easy to adopt simply call +44 (0)1483 272323 or click the link: http://bit.ly/AdoptZhorik
FUNdraise for TigerTime! TigerTime supporters from across the globe are helping raise much needed funds for our tiger protection programmes through some great local fundraising events! Not only are they supporting these vital protection measures, but also having a fantastic time! Why not get involved and link in to our national fundraising weekend on the 28th -29th September. Download the pack for lots of information to help get your fundraising event up and running! http://tigertime.info/take-action/fundraising-form
YOU CAN HELP SAVE THE TIGER! Join TigerTime by signing up at www.tigertime.info
GET MORE TIME FOR THE WILD TIGER We need YOU to stand with us and write to your local MP. WHY? The trade in tiger parts was given only 15 minutes discussion at the most recent CITES meeting.This is simply not enough and we need your help to lobby world governments so that this does not happen again. Please see our draft letter that you can send to your local MP here: http://tigertime.info/take-action/contact-your-local-mp/your-local-mp
SHOP NOW
to save the tiger The TigerTime website includes a fabulous shop of TigerTime merchandise kindly stocked by two of Europe’s largest outerwear suppliers; RESULT and ISE. These successful companies have come together to supply a range of branded products to support the campaign with clothing, headwear, bags, supporter’s wristband and a fabulous TigerTime watch all available. Some of these items are shown here. To see more and to order simply go to: http://tigertime.isenterprises.co.uk/index.php
Join TigerTime by signing up at www.tigertime.info