Tiger experts from 20 countries have gathered in Nepal to discuss new strategies to stop the animals from becoming extinct.
In a recent case, a Sumatran tiger — only about 25 of which remain in the wild — died after being caught in a pig snare in Indonesia.
The worlds 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 specialists said Tuesday.
An estimated 3.500 to 4.000 tigers now roam the worlds forests, down from the more than 100.000 estimated at the beginning of the 20th century. All the remaining tigers are in Asia.
Tiger hunting is illegal worldwide and the trade in tiger parts is banned under a treaty binding 167 countries, including Nepal. But endangered species attract huge sums of money in China and elsewhere in Asia.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick, who sent a video message to the forum, said that illegal activities of traders and poachers were ‘better organized’ than policy makers and conservationists.
– At present the illegal trade in wildlife is estimated at over 10 billion US dollar (50 milliarder DKR) annually across Asia – second only to weapons and drug smuggling, he said.
Zoellick argued that the poaching problem has now become so great that supposedly ‘secure’ reserves across Asia have been wiped out while other species – such as Asiatic lions, snow leopards and clouded leopards have also declined significantly.
His comments were backed up by Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and conservationists who said that tigers will become extinct unless the international community unites urgently to find new strategies to ensure their survival.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
