Environmental Solutions for Tigers
Solutions for our quickly fading tiger population
What's wrong with the Tiger
In the entire world only about 3000 tigers are left in the wild. Most of these species of Tigers only have a few hundred or even less left, both in Zoos and in the Wild. The Amur Tiger, located in Northeast China, Western Russia, and parts of North Korea, only have around 500 left in the world. The Bengal Tiger is the most numerous species of tiger, located in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan and even they number less than 2 thousand left in the world. Like the Amur Tiger, the Malayan Tiger numbers around 500. The South China Tiger is labeled as the one of the most endangered animals in the world, numbering only around 59.
Species of Tigers that are already extinct include the Caspian Tiger, the Javan Tiger, the Balinese Tiger, and the Bali Tiger.
Causes of Tiger Extinction
Some causes for Tiger extinction include rising sea levels, which can cause destruction to their habitats, and an increasing concentration of salt in waters, meaning they could ingest too much salt and die as a result. Other reasons include poaching for pelts,their bones,and as a food source. The bones of tigers are used in Pseudo Medicines, a popular medical practice in China and Chinese Area's, such as 'China Towns' around America. In 1985 and 1989, Taiwan banned the importation and then the sale and possession of tiger bones. But in 1992 it was found that 13 out of 50 wholesale, public medical shops sold tiger bones in products,rather than individual sale. Under pressure from the UN and the U.S.A, China and Taiwan increased the punishment on the ban of tiger bones. But in 1994, little to no change was made, and the U.S.A put an Restricted Trade Sanction on Taiwan, causing them to make actual progress to stop using tiger bones. The sanction was lifted in 1995, but in 1996 it was found that China was breeding tigers in order to mollify the rising need of tiger bones in China. Other parts of Tigers used include the eyes, as it's believed to give better vision, claws as a sedative for insomnia, teeth to cure fevers, the fat to treat leprosy and rheumatism, and the whiskers to cure toothaches.
Effects of Tiger Extinction
The Tiger is at the top of the food chain in the ecosystems it resides in. As such, it keeps the populations of deer, wild boar, sambar, guar, and other creatures in check. If the Tiger were to go extinct, these species would expand rapidly. The excessive population boom would than completely destroy it's food source. In this case, vegetation. If the vegetation in these areas are destroyed, smaller animals and insects could not survive. As such, they would migrate to the only areas they could, farms and cities. Insects that attack farmer's crops could potentially destroy vital food sources, impacting on HUMAN populations. And if the plants can no longer grow in the jungle, than the soil will become infertile and eventually the jungle, and everything depending on it, will fade away. Other effects the extinction of Tigers will have is an negative impact on human welfare and economic development. Most parts of Asia and some area's in Europe depend on the same water, air, and forest resources that the tiger needs. But if the tiger as a species dies and these areas become devastated, ecological services are at risk.
Solutions for Tiger Extinction.
A Solution for Tiger Extinction is to create more Wildlife Preserves, with Tigers in there. These Preserves would need to be protected, in order to stop Poaching. Another solution is to enforce the illegallization of poaching Tigers. Another solution is to Monitor Tiger Habitats, and collect DNA Scans in order to see if Tigers are reproducing normally, as well as to catch Poachers who attempt to Poach Tigers, and get that much closer to discovering the locations of the black market. Another solution is to go to the countries that use parts of Tiger's as Medicine, and give them technologically advanced medicines as a substitute for things like Tiger Bones. Some Medical Alternatives that are natural remedies are Chamomile, coptis root, and wild jujube seed can be mixed to make a tea to help with Insomnia, instead of using Tiger Claws, which some countries believe help with Insomnia. Other Alternatives are Bamboo Leaves for Fever, and acupuncture is a well rounded remedy. There are close to 11 thousand alternative natural medicines, which do not include using parts of animals, such as the Tiger.