Today, fewer than 3,200 tigers exist in the wild today. It is estimated that between 400 – 500 wild Sumatran tigers remain. The Sumatran tiger is targeted for its valuable skin and body parts that are sold on the illegal wildlife market and used for traditional medicinal remedies across Asia. Another main cause of the decline in Sumatra’s tiger populations is habitat loss and fragmentation of once wild areas for agriculture and other developments, including monocultures for oil palm, coffee and pulp and paper. Growing developments like these and increases in human populations have forced the Sumatran tiger into closer contact with local communities, often leading to human-tiger conflicts. In retaliation, many Sumatran tigers are hunted by local villagers. A lack of natural prey like deer due to overhunting by humans is also forcing tigers to prey on domestic animals, fueling human-tiger conflicts.
On Thursday, July 26th, the BBC 2 Natural World documentary Tiger Island will air for the first time in the United Kingdom. This film follows Panthera’s CEO and world renowned big cat expert, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, as he travels to Sumatra to investigate a controversial project working to rehabilitate and release ‘conflict tigers’ back into the wild. Travel with Dr. Rabinowitz as he visits a ‘sanctuary’ for conflict tigers in southern Sumatra and learn what he discovers while monitoring tigers released back into the wild. Find out if this new and radical approach to tiger conservation could put tigers and local villagers in harm’s way or be a tool used to help save the Critically Endangered Sumatran tiger from extinction.
Watch the trailer:
Tiger Island addresses the controversial question of what to do with conflict tigers after they have fed on local livestock, or worse, injured or killed local villagers. Many times, these conflicts end in a death sentence for tigers. This film explores a new capture-rehabilitate-release strategy to help protect the dwindling Sumatran tiger population with ‘The Indiana Jones of Wildlife Protection,’ Dr. Alan Rabinowitz.
Tune in to UK’s BBC 2 Natural World to watch the film on Thursday, July 26th, at 8pm. Tiger Island will premier in the United States on Animal Planet. Check Panthera for details.
Learn more about Tiger Island, a Mike Birkhead Associates film.
The above news item is reprinted from materials available at Panthera. Original text may be edited for content and length.
(Source: Panthera, 18.07.2012)