AkaroA Association, educate, inform, and aware people of endangered species and their environment

Other endangered species The Cheetah
The Jaguar
The Amur Leopard

Threats to survival

Destruction of its natural habitat

Massive destruction of forests (about 30.000 ha of tiger habitat disappears every 3 years in the Russian far east).

Fragmentation of its habitat reduces the interactions between individuals and loss of biodiversity.

Exhaustion of prey that are the basis of their diet.

Trafficking of tigers furs sold to wealthy Russians or through smuggling to other countries in Asia.

Finally remain high demands of body parts of tigers used in traditional Chinese medicine in Asian countries (China, Japan, Korea and other...) All body parts are used.

Poaching

Poachers killed about 60 Amur Tigers annually in the early 90... This figure was reduced to 30 Amur Tigers killed annually thanks to the activities of anti-poaching initiated and financed by the Tigris Foundation and other partners of ALTA, WCS and WWF.

Recent investigations in China have shown that wild tigers have almost disappeared... very few tigers in China living in zoos survive in captivity...

But better border control and tougher laws, regarding the use of protected species in the fields of medicine, have just reversed the trend in China and had a positive effect on maintaining the population of tigers in a protected area.

Indeed, China has taken concrete measures for safeguarding tigers since 2001 in establishing a protected area along the border that separates it from the Russian side of Primorye (Hunchun reserve).. It seems that sustainable management of forest and anti-poaching effectively allow the Amur tiger and Amur leopard to a favorable return on this area... but the struggle is difficult and underground networks for trafficking in protected animals do not facilitate the task.

Unfortunatelly, poaching is still important in Russia because of a stricter legal framework against poachers.. It is therefore necessary to maintain the anti-poaching in Russia.

With 5% killed per year, the entire population will disappear in 50 years according to an estimate...hence the need for strong recommendations to the Russian authorities under the auspices of ALTA, the WCS and WWF and other participating NGOs.

AkaroA supports ALTA and the Tigris Foundation

Raising funds to support anti-poaching

Involving schools and secondary schools. Organizing photo and video reports. Transmit them to the Tigris Foundation which will distribute them among the population living in the area fo tigers and leopards.

Participate in recommendations to the Russian authorities by participing NGOs to establish a framework for tougher legislation.

THE SIBERIAN TIGER OR AMUR TIGER

Alarming news: the population of Siberian Tiger is down significantly!

The Amur Tiger (better known as the Siberian tiger) is one of eight subspecies of tiger.

Of the 100 000 tigers at the start of the 20th century, there remain today only 7 000!

of these 8 species, 3 are extinct: the Bali tiger (around 1940), the Caspian tiger (around 1975) and the Java tiger (around 1980)...

while hunting tigers is forbidden since 1947...

On 2009, 16 October, the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society in collaboration with other NGOs, WWF the Phoenix Fund and ALTA) announced at a press conference in Vladivostok that the population of Amur tigers (better known as the Siberian tiger) was falling in the Russian Far East.
The consequences are poaching and habitat degradation. It is therefore urgent to improve the conservation of Siberian tigers. Recommendations towards the Russian authorities are underway to reverse the dismal results...

Back...

A survey was conducted every 10 years providing rather positive figures on the than keeping the population ofSiberian tigers (415 to 476 tigers in 1995, from 428 to 508 tigers in 2005).
An annual monitoring program has been developed to complement theses studies, the curriculum being considered insufficient.

These annual monitorings were conducted over an area representing 15 to 18% of the total habitat of Siberian tigrs (23 552 km). The 2005 survey counted 115 adult tigers on this surface, a slight increase in average compared to studies of the last 10 years, encouraging results!

But, in 2009, the situation has suddenly reversed highlighting an alarming situation: the monitoring of this year revealed 56 Siberian tigers present on this surface, that is to say an average drop of 40% of the population!

More information about the Siberian Tiger or Amur Tiger:

The Amur tiger is a subspecies of the most massive tigers. Its body is about 3 meters (including the tail).
Adult females weigh on average 130kg and males about 190kg. However, males can reach 300kg!
Newborns do not exceed one kilogram and from 3-4 years, they reach nearly 100kg! The male does not deal with babies and leaves the female after mating. The female gives birth after about 100 days.
It sets up a shelter for its young in caves or dense thickets. The babies will be able to drive alone when the reach 18 months.

The fur of the Amur tiger is paler than in other subspecies, in winter its fur becomes very thick to protect it from harsh winters.
Its ecosystem is composed of vast forests, mountains and hills and deer and wild boars that live in its territory are part of its diet.
By protecting habitat and prey, we protect the tiger.

Like a cat, its big soft paws allow it to approach its prey silently and capture it through his long claws (10cm long) and larges canines (7.5cm)!

Its area varies depending on the number of prey. It can range from 300 km2 for a female up to 800 km2 for males. The tiger is able to cover distances of 20 to 100 km per day in search of prey.

The tiger is active for hunting at dusk and dawn.
The snow covers its approach... It hunts its prey by ambush in front of them or by the side, jumping on them.
It also takes into account the wind direction so that its prey does not feel it!
The tiger needs an average of 10 kg of meat per day.

ALTA, Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance, amur-leopard.org supported by ZSL : Zoological Society of London and the Tigris Foundation, (whose Michiel Hötte is founder and coordinator for ALTA) developed a comprehensive program in Russia and China for the conservation of the Amur Leopard and Amur tiger, which includes:

- Training and financial support from anti-poaching teams

- Support services to struggling against the illegal trade in wildlife

- Fight against forest fires

- Compensation for livestock killed by tigers and leopards

- Education and public awareness of conservation program

- Study of habitat and prey population monitoring of tigers and leopards

- Support the creation and management of protected area

Sources : ALTA, Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance

AkaroA team wishes to thank very warmly Michiel Hötte (ZSL member and founder of the Tigris Foundation) for his kindness and his precious advice!

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