Siberian Tigers

By Si Dunn

Tragically, zoo tigers once again are in the news. On Christmas Day, 2007, a Siberian tiger somehow escaped or was let loose from captivity and killed one person and badly injured two others at the San Francisco Zoo. Police officers fatally--and correctly--shot the Siberian while it was in the process of savagely mauling one of its victims. Nothing else could be done at that point. Even though the tiger had been born and reared in captivity, it reverted to its nature once it was out of its enclosure.

Where possible, wild animals should be protected and given sanctuary in their natural habitats. This should include very strict enforcement of anti-poaching laws. Numerous animal species, including tigers, are prized in some cultures for their pelts, paws, meat, organs and blood. Poachers can make many thousands of dollars off animals such as tigers and gorillas by selling them, in pieces and vials, in international medical and souvenir black markets.

One example of poacher economics: Fewer than 400 Siberian tigers are still alive in the snowy forests of Far Eastern Russia. But a billion people want them made into rugs and drugs. In a cruel twist of the laws of supply and demand, each endangered tiger now is worth tens of thousands of dollars to thieves willing to kill and steal the animals from nature preserves and zoos.

Unfortunately, many nations are letting economic development--some of it illegal--encroach on their nature preserves. Wild animals are being forced into smaller and smaller spaces that can only support fewer of their species.

More should be done--now--to protect animals in the wild and animals in zoos, just as more should be done to protect zoo visitors wishing to see magnificent creatures up close.

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