26 July 2016
Did you know that 100 years ago there were around 100,000 tigers across Asia, spread across nine subspecies? Today, this number has fallen to approximately 3,200. Four of the nine subspecies have been completely eradicated from the wild (one subspecies – the South Chinese tiger – has not been seen in the wild since the 1970s, but exists in zoos). The five remaining subspecies are the Bengal tiger, Indochinese tiger, Amur tiger, Malayan tiger, and Sumatran tiger – which is the subspecies of tiger we have here at Parken Zoo. The biggest threats to tigers are illegal hunting and the trade in tiger parts. There is a belief in ancient Chinese folk medicine that parts from tigers have certain healing properties. Forests where they live are also being cut down to make way for the cultivation of palm oil and rubber, among other things. This causes the tigers' hunting grounds to disappear and forces them to seek food closer to human settlements, which naturally leads to human-tiger conflict, as they sometimes kill livestock. The few remaining tigers live in small, fragmented groups. The low number of tigers also means the population becomes more vulnerable to disease and virus outbreaks, as well as inbreeding.
21St Century Tiger is an initiative run by ZSL London Zoo and the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation to support in-situ tiger conservation efforts. Among other things, they invite zoos worldwide to participate in Global Tiger Day, which raises awareness of the tiger's endangered status and collects funds.
On Friday 29 July, we’ll be marking Global Tiger Day here at Parken Zoo too. We’re offering a 20% discount on all tiger-related products in the gift shop, and we’ll be running a face-painting session from 11.30 am to 1 pm where you can have your face painted like a tiger. If you come to the meeting point by the Desert House at 11 am, you’ll get to hear one of our knowledgeable zoo staff talk about the tigers and watch an exciting tiger tug-of-war! Valid only on Friday 29 July