Saving Sumatran Tigers

                                                                       Emma Liu

              Most people think that the Sumatran tigers are aggressive mammals. They are wrong. The Sumatran tigers only attack when they are killing prey, protecting their young, or when they are defending themselves. There are less than 400 Sumatran tigers in existence today. Out of all the species of tigers, the Sumatran tiger is the most endangered and has a high risk of extinction. However, there are still things we can do to save them.

          

            The Sumatran tiger is the most endangered species in the world. They live on a tiny island in Indonesia called Sumatra. The island is home to 201 mammal species and 580 bird species. There are 9 endemic mammals including the Sumatran tiger. Sumatra is a producer of petroleum oil, palm oil, Indonesian coffee, and wood. Humans have been illegally cutting down the Sumatran tiger’s habitat for the wood. The wood is being used for building tables, chairs, and creating toilet paper. As a result, the island has lost 48% of its natural forest cover since 1985. The home of the tiger is being destroyed and people need to take a closer look about this situation.

 

            Humans are also killing them. People are poaching them for their bones, which are used in a traditional Chinese medicine. The tiger teeth and claws are used as charms and trophies. They are hunted for their skins.  As a result, three of the world’s eight tiger subspecies have already gone extinct in the past 70 years. Indonesia has lost two tiger subspecies: the Bali and Javan tigers. They became extinct in the 1940s and 1980s, respectively. If people don’t put an end to these horrible actions Sumatran tigers will also become extinct.

            

            Some conservation efforts have been made but we need more help. The Indonesian government has made laws to help stop poaching. The World Wildlife Fund creates TRAFFIC which monitors illegal trade for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. People need to be educated about the harms of illegal loggixng and poaching. Tiger skins, teeth, and bones are not magical medicines or beautiful treasures. The Sumatran tigers need YOUR help in spreading the word that they are CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.  We want them to thrive in order to have them for many generations to come

 

           Humans should save Sumatran tigers because they are critically endangered. If people don’t help, we will never see these awe-inspiring tigers anymore. There are some good websites about how to be involved in saving Sumatran tigers habitat. Please tell your friends or family about how they are struggling to survive and please try to help. Some good websites are: http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sumatran-tiger, http://sdzsafaripark.org/tigertrail/, and http://www.wcs.org/saving-wildlife/big-cats/tiger.aspx.