Shocking Fact - More Tigers in American Backyards than in the Wild

a reply to: blupblup

Ouch.

Depressing as hell.

No restrictions on keeping tiggers in the USA? WTF!

At the very least there should be laes to make private owners keep them in appropriate houseing!

They are not house cats!

Hooray! Americans are saving tigers! I love cats.

Very sad...

originally posted by: Spiramirabilis
a reply to: blupblup
In addition to the high demand for magical tiger bones - there's also this:

More than 10 tigers have been killed as "visual feasts" in China to entertain officials and rich business people, state media reported.

Police in the port city of Zhanjiang, in the southern province of Guangdong, seized a freshly slaughtered tiger and multiple tiger products in a raid this month, said the Nanfang Daily, the mouthpiece of the provincial Communist Party.

Local officials and prominent businesspeople gathered to watch the tigers being killed as "eye-openers" to show off their social stature, it said. Video footage of a killing two years ago showed the tiger, kept in an iron cage, having an electrified iron mass prodded into its mouth with a wooden stick and passing out after being electrocuted for more than 10 seconds, the paper said.

What can you say after you read something like that? They're probably doomed

Wow, wasn't too aware of these "visual feasts". No words...
Exactly, doomed, more on the horizon as one article(can't remember the source) states we may see many animals such as Tigers(various), Asians Elephants, Asian Lions, etc., extinct sooner than anyone can prevent.

Meanwhile, adding to the loss of animals, Chinese Medicine is having a shortage on tigers. As of last year they started moving in on using lions as well.

And the really sad thing is, most people aren't diligent or well trained enough to properly take care of these animals. They probably don't have the best quality of life.

a reply to: blupblup

This has more to do with poaching than it does with habitat loss. Tiger parts are highly sought after in traditional medicine.

While it is true that habitat loss is threatening some species. It does not fully explain the disappearance of the Siberian tiger. Who lives there? to cause serious encroachment? Much of that area of the world is still wide open and wild.

originally posted by: Restricted
Hooray! Americans are saving tigers! I love cats.

The problem is that most of these cats are of unverified parentage so they cannot be used for any captive breeding conservation programs. Many or intermixed between subspecies so to admit them to the conservation programs would undo all the careful work being done in many parks and zoos.

It's like cichlid fish. You have to be extremely careful as a hobbyist with the parentage of the fish you let into you tanks or they can interbreed and create viable hybrids that can be almost visually impossible to distinguish from one parent or the other until somewhere down the line a weird trait pops out. It doesn't sound like a huge issue until you consider that there are some Victorian cichlids that may exist nowhere else but in hobbyist tanks.

a reply to: blupblup
Whose real or provable facts are these? I believe this is total B.S., most localities have such great game wardens, sheriffs and animal control there is no way this study is true, who took the tiger census and more importantly who lied on their census forms? honestly though I do not believe the number one iota, sorry, nice try but I need more evidence, a headcount with reputable head counters, not estimators or some agenda spawned number.

a reply to: dreamingawake

Wow, wasn't too aware of these "visual feasts". No words... Exactly, doomed, more on the horizon as one article(can't remember the source) states we may see many animals such as Tigers(various), Asians Elephants, Asian Lions, etc., extinct sooner than anyone can prevent.

I read about this the other day - and I wasn't convinced that it wasn't the beginning of an urban legend sort of thing. This story was being repeated on all kinds of blogs and iffy news sites - but I found this Guardian version and now have to believe it's probably just the smallest part of a much bigger story. I don't need to hear the rest

Earlier today I promised to focus on happy stories and fluffy bunnies...oh well

The Sixth Great Extinction Is Underway

It's easy to blame the Chinese - and it's not like they don't have it coming - but this sort of thing is happening all over. Here in the west we're just as much to blame as anywhere else - even if it's not about tigers

Also - and on a happier note - I love your avatar. Every time I see it I feel better :-)

a reply to: ketsuko

I'll take any kind of tiger over no tiger at all. They are in serious peril.

Years ago I lived in a small town with a guy who had one in his back yard. He had the permit and took all the proper precautions. People still bitched because they thought the tiger would eat their kids.

I wrote an editorial to the local paper in support of the owner. I said it's not the kids who are in danger. It's the tiger.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
And the really sad thing is, most people aren't diligent or well trained enough to properly take care of these animals. They probably don't have the best quality of life.

Exactly... just insane that this is actually happening.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: blupblup

This has more to do with poaching than it does with habitat loss. Tiger parts are highly sought after in traditional medicine.

While it is true that habitat loss is threatening some species. It does not fully explain the disappearance of the Siberian tiger. Who lives there? to cause serious encroachment? Much of that area of the world is still wide open and wild.

OH absolutely, I said as much on the last page.... it's just sickening.
We've lost 97% of wild Tigers in just over a century.
And although poaching is the biggest immediate threat, loss of habitat has caused most of them to disappear over that century.

Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range. Their habitat has been destroyed, degraded and fragmented by human activities, including the clearing of forests for agriculture and timber trade and development activities such as the building of road networks. Fewer tigers can survive in small, scattered islands of habitat, which lead to a higher risk of inbreeding. These small islands of habitat also make tigers more vulnerable to poaching.

There are usually limited resources for guarding protected areas in the countries where tigers live. Even countries with strong enforcement of tiger protection laws fight a never-ending battle against poaching. In Indochina and China, poaching is so pervasive that thousands of hectares of forests stand empty of tigers.

Basically they're getting wiped out from all sides and fronts.

originally posted by: phinubian
a reply to: blupblup
Whose real or provable facts are these? I believe this is total B.S., most localities have such great game wardens, sheriffs and animal control there is no way this study is true, who took the tiger census and more importantly who lied on their census forms? honestly though I do not believe the number one iota, sorry, nice try but I need more evidence, a headcount with reputable head counters, not estimators or some agenda spawned number.

Yes.... all of it is lies, there are really millions of wild tigers and they are not really endangered, just hiding.
Seriously, just no.

We can still restore them. The problem with these big animals is that it's difficult for them to find enough food in the wild and reproduce(and easily go instinct), but that's not a problem once they're in captivity. Just feed them lots of steak, put female companions next to them and they should repopulate very quickly.

I really don't see why they can't reproduce like cats. In fact, they do live longer when captured which is proof that we can extend their lifespan and help them reach reproductive age more. 4000 can reach 40000 real quick if we make an effort.

THIS makes me sick.

a reply to: blupblup

No, you missed my point, I was referring to the utterly ridiculous, unfounded claim being made, I am not talking about the tigers in the wild I am talking about the 5000 in America, in the backyards and kennels, you find 5000 tigers in America, then maybe your face plant graphic might apply but that statement that there is 5000 ??? naw, still not buying it, do you actually know what 5000 Tigers in a fenced in area would look like ? much alone be spread out in the U.S. ...where are they????we'd have way more complaints of big cat's loose, sightings, complaints of hearing them, things like that, every state has 100 tigers lurking amongst the pit bulls and rottweilers, beware...come on, you need a pathetic face plant if you really think anyone would believe that nonsense...again, numbers with a cause and agenda, most people could care less if there was 1 tiger left, honestly, until these false stats are posted on a board that is supposed to deny ignorance....I challenge you to go count them up for us and see if you find 5000 Tigers in America....

Entertainment venues use them, weird ass rich people are caught abusing them all the time. 9 live in Calhan Coloradowww.serenityspringswildlife.org...
Still ,pisses me off animals are used like this,just to amuse us,but I am such evil ,they taste good too. And now such a hellish place is their HAVEN...ugly,very ugly.

Shocking Fact - More Tigers in American Backyards than in the Wild

That's am excellent reason for taking a good, long look out the window before opening your back door.

Harte

originally posted by: Spiramirabilis
a reply to: dreamingawake

Wow, wasn't too aware of these "visual feasts". No words... Exactly, doomed, more on the horizon as one article(can't remember the source) states we may see many animals such as Tigers(various), Asians Elephants, Asian Lions, etc., extinct sooner than anyone can prevent.

I read about this the other day - and I wasn't convinced that it wasn't the beginning of an urban legend sort of thing. This story was being repeated on all kinds of blogs and iffy news sites - but I found this Guardian version and now have to believe it's probably just the smallest part of a much bigger story. I don't need to hear the rest

Earlier today I promised to focus on happy stories and fluffy bunnies...oh well

The Sixth Great Extinction Is Underway

It's easy to blame the Chinese - and it's not like they don't have it coming - but this sort of thing is happening all over. Here in the west we're just as much to blame as anywhere else - even if it's not about tigers

Also - and on a happier note - I love your avatar. Every time I see it I feel better :-)

Oh yeah for sure, there's a lot more blame to be had than just one country, just one culture, or what have you.

Now more so the concern is of the animals left of those endangered are kept in captivity, are they being treated fairly, cared for properly, etc.

Same goes for yours. Both are calming! Hopefully the lights or orbs really do look like Fireflies in the avatar cropping it made it blurry. I have to fix that lol.