The Year of the Tiger

The WWF have outlined their plans to make this year a good year for Tigers beginning with the launch of their new campaign.

The WWF, formally the World Wildlife Fund, raises awareness for all kinds of environmental and conservational issues affecting the natural world.

Their campaign is being launched to coincide with the Chinese year of the tiger and will hopefully help to reach their goal of doubling the world's tiger population by 2022 (the next year of the tiger). The WWF are working with world leaders in order to ensure the protection of the species and a global tiger summit will be held in Vladivostok in September this year where this goal will be the main focal point.

The WWF have released an interactive map in advance of the campaign launch which outlines the top ten dangers currently facing tiger's. Forest devastation, poaching and trafficking of tiger bones and skin are being named as some of the main reasons why the global population of wild tigers has dropped from 100,000 at the start of the 20th Century to as low as 3,200 at present. Climate change is also believed to be becoming more of a threat as it is damaging to tiger's habitats.

Head of species at WWF-UK, Diane Walkington, says "Since the last year of the tiger in 1998, tigers have lost 40 percent of their habitat. She continues "Tigers are being persecuted across the globe. They are being poisoned, trapped, snared, shot and squeezed out their homes."

Diane believes the new campaign will really help make a difference. "With 13 countries where wild tigers survive now pledging that they will work towards doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022, there has never been such an ambitious, high-level of commitment from governments to work to save this iconic species".