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Dalai Lama speaks out against illegal wildlife trade

Tibetans are responding to an appeal from their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to conserve wildlife by not wearing fur trimmed clothing. Traditionally the demand for tiger and other animal skin was to decorate traditional robes known as ‘Chubas'. The demand over the years has been so high that many environmentalists now believe the Tibetan skin trade is as influential as Chinese medicine in driving the demand for Tigers. Because the illegal wildlife trade in Tibet thrives almost unnoticed by the outside world, the illegal poaching and trade of contraband tiger skins is believed to be driving one of the worlds leading black markets. It is believed this market is responsible for the sharp decline in wild tiger numbers over recent years.

In mid-January 2006, the world witnessed one of the most monumental movements for tiger conservation in history. The Dalai Lama, personally spoke out to a gathering of thousands of Tibetans in India . He called upon his people to “never use, sell or buy wild animals, their products or derivatives” – including the tiger. He went on to state that wearing animal skins and furs was against Buddhism.

As a result, there has been a persistent cloud of smoke over Tibet this month as people give up their Chubas and burn their furs and animal skins in response to the request from their leader. Some cost up to 14,000 AUD – almost the equivalent of two years wages for the average Tibetan.

This may well be a turning point for the fate of the tiger and many other wild species, including leopards and otters. Already we have seen the price of tiger skins drop significantly in Tibet . Unfortunately, this alone does not guarantee the survival of wild tigers. We also need the Chinese and Indian governments to take action by investing qualified guards and law enforcement officials and by working in collaboration to bring the illegal trafficking networks down. The Dalai Lama has heightened awareness and urgency for tiger conservation, and for this we will remain forever grateful.

For more information, read Fur flies over tiger plight from the NZ Herald.

Wildlife Warriors continue to support field work

INDIA: Wildlife Warriors has made a further investment of $30,000 in our tiger conservation collaboration with LifeForce in India. These funds have been allocated to eco-development programs involving health and education. The much needed funds will be used for wages of field staff, medical supplies, transfer of medical staff to local communities (two health camps are proposed for this year) and general community education resources.

SUMATRA: We have invested a further $21,500 in our Sumatran program for the construction of a building to use as a vital central base for Fauna and Flora International's tiger protection and conservation work in Banko, Sumatra. The construction of this base will be underway very soon, and will provide invaluable assistance to this program and the people working on the ground with FFI.

BHUTAN: We have increased our support of WWF's tiger conservation program in Manas National Park, India, with a further $20,000 to pay for field equipment including backpacks, clothing and radios for field workers patrolling the forests.

Fujifilm continues support of tiger conservation

One of our sponsors, Fujifilm, has made an awesome donation of 12 brand new, state-of-the-art digital cameras for use on the ground in our tiger conservation programs. This contribution – which also includes memory cards, batteries and chargers – is worth around $5,000. These will be vital tools for use in the field. Thank you to Fujifilm for their incredible generosity and encouraging support of wildlife conservation.

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