Updated June 16, 2008

Celebrities Join World Bank in Saving Tigers
Reuters Jun 10, 2008; by Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hollywood celebrities Harrison Ford, Bo Derek and Robert Duvall on Monday threw their support behind a new global initiative by the World Bank to save tigers from extinction.

While the global development agency's main mission is to fight poverty in developing countries, it has rarely taken on wildlife conservation efforts of endangered species.

The new Tiger Conservation Initiative will bring together wildlife experts, scientists and governments to try to halt the killing and thriving illegal trade in tiger skins, meat and body parts used in traditional Asian medicines.

Ford, a long-time environmental activist, said efforts to protect tigers would only succeed if local communities were involved in conservation efforts.

"By committing to help wild tigers, the World Bank is sounding its intention to be a global leader in biodiversity conservation," Ford, the star of the latest "Indiana Jones" movie, told an event at Washington's Smithsonian National Zoo.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said the decline in the number of tigers was "shocking" from over 100,000 a century ago to currently less than 4,000.

The clearing of large areas of forest land for urban development has added to their decline and disappearance from Central Asia, the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali, and most of China.

POACHING AT ALL-TIME HIGH

A World Bank report warned that "if current trends persist, tigers are likely to be the first species of large predator to vanish in historic times."

"Just as with many other challenges of sustainability, such as climate change, pandemic disease, or poverty, the crisis facing tigers overwhelms local capabilities and it is one that transcends local borders," Zoellick said.

"This is a problem that cannot be handled by individual nations alone, it requires an alliance of strong local commitment backed by deep international support," he added.

Zoellick said the World Bank would convene a series of discussions with countries, conservationists and the private sector to mobilize funding for tiger conservation, and launch studies on how better to protect the cats.

The World Bank chief said there were examples of where tigers had been brought back from the brink of extinction, such as in Russia and Nepal, but added that saving the world tiger population would not be an easy task.

"All those concerned may not agree but this does not mean we should stand on the sidelines and do nothing," he said.

John Seidensticker, chief scientist at the Smithsonian National Zoo's Conservation Ecology Center, said tiger poaching and trafficking in tiger parts and meat was at an all-time high and the biggest immediate threat to tigers.

"For wild tigers to live they must have much better security on their home ground," he said, also calling on countries to properly enforce laws to protect tigers.

This, Seidensticker said, required strong political will.

"We're at a tipping point and we're going to lose wild tigers but with the World Bank initiative wild tigers now have a chance," he added

Seidensticker said tiger conservation efforts needed to be more coordinated and focused, and the World Bank could help as a global institution.



Stars Come out to Support Tiger Initiative
CNN, June 10, 2008

Citing tiger population counts that have dwindled to a few thousand, several Hollywood stars have come out in support of a preservation campaign announced Monday by the World Bank.

The head of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, told those gathered at a news conference at the National Zoo that the conservation initiative will find out "how to work with the local communities, so we can preserve some of the areas in which the tigers live."

Actor Harrison Ford, known for his support of environmental causes, said, "I'm here to celebrate the World Bank's plan to form a global alliance of conservation partners, to work with the tiger range nations in order to secure a future for these magnificent creatures."

The audience included former actress Bo Derek, now a special envoy at the State Department fighting trafficking in wildlife. She told CNN the World Bank's initiative to save the tigers should help counter "demand for their body parts, mainly in Asia," and "loss of habitat" caused by the exploitation of natural resources. Watch Derek talk about her role in conservation

Actor Robert Duvall, who lives in the Virginia countryside about 50 miles from Washington, came in to lend his "moral support" to the World Bank's initiative for tigers.

"I've always thought they might be the single most beautiful animal in the world," Duvall told CNN, adding that "people hunt them like crazy. They're wacko when it comes to shooting things."

Derek spoke to reporters at the State Department Monday, where she expanded on her efforts to protect endangered wildlife from illegal trafficking.

She appeared at a briefing with Claudia McMurray, the Assistant Secretary for Oceans Environment and Science, who said that illegal wildlife trafficking is worth an estimated $10 billion a year.

China is the largest market for trafficked animals used for exotic pets, rare foods, trophies and medicine. The United States is the second largest market in the world.

As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Special Envoy for Wildlife Trafficking, the former movie star said she is focusing her efforts on public awareness of the problem, which she hopes will reduce awareness.

"It was very embarrassing for me to find out that the U.S. is number 2 in consuming endangered wildlife," she said. "I travel often, and so many times someone will tell you 'you can buy this, it's made of tortoiseshell, but it's a safe tortoiseshell. It's not endangered.' I think education and awareness is critical."

Derek said that China has a very successful public awareness campaign and the Chinese government has been very cooperative in trying to educate the public about the problem.

Derek voiced concern about the future survival of various species of sharks, which are being captured and de-finned for shark fin soup, considered a rare delicacy in Asia and in the United States.

"It's very difficult to know how many there are left in the world," Derek said. "Some studies show that in the past 20 years, they're down 90 percent. They reproduce very slowly. I think that unless people just stop eating the (shark fin) soup, I don't think the species has a chance."

While it is illegal to traffic shark fins into the United States, enforcing the law is difficult once the animal parts make it into the country.

The World Bank will initially explore local and regional programs that have worked against poaching of endangered tigers, and will next determine how much financing it would take to help replicate the programs elsewhere.

Regional programs against tiger poaching are linked with rising populations tallied in the Russian Far East, according to the report from the World Bank.

Zoellick emphasized his group is "not the key player" but only serves as a catalyst for countries in the region to coordinate efforts to save tigers at risk in their areas.

The World Bank's initiative will focus 13 countries where tiger poaching threatens remaining populations in the wild: Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Indonesia, India, Russia and Vietnam.



US Second to China in Illegal Wildlife Trade
AFP, Jun 10, 2008

The United States is second to China as the biggest market for illegal wildlife and wildlife parts, with demand fueled by interest in traditional medicine, a US official said Monday.

"The biggest market for illegal wildlife and wildlife parts is China," according to Assistant Secretary of State for Environment, Claudia McMurray. "But the number two market is the United States."

Wildlife trafficking is worth an estimated 10 billion dollars a year, according to Interpol figures she cited. But she did not have individual estimates for how much goes to China and the US.

Consumers were buying while traveling, on the Internet or in shops in the United States, McMurray said at a news conference highlighting a public awareness campaign launched by US embassies around the world against the illegal wildlife trade.

"In most cases, they think the products are perfectly legal. We consider it our job in the US government to tell Americans that that is not the case," she said.

McMurray said interest in traditional Chinese medicine was fueling demand for illicit wildlife trade in the United States and that it was coming not just from people of Asian origin.

She added that there was also growing demand in the United States for live exotic pets.

Actress Bo Derek, who is US special envoy for wildlife trafficking issues, said "it was very embarassing for me to find out that the US is number two in consuming endangered wildlife."

She said China had been helpful in boosting public awareness about wildlife trafficking.



More than a Million Birds Killed in Cyprus
Planet Ark News, June 10, 2008; by Michele Kambas

NICOSIA - More than a million birds, most of them migratory, were killed in Cyprus in the past year and served up as local culinary delicacies, conservationists said on Monday.

Songbirds are a popular dish on the east Mediterranean island, which lies on a key migratory route. Although trapping and consumption is banned, they are still served up in some restaurants, say wildlife campaigners.

"Unless decisive action is taken the future will be bleak for Europe's migrant birds," said Martin Hellicar, executive director of the BirdLife charity in Cyprus.

Hellicar said surveys by the organisation suggested more than 1.1 million birds had been killed from March 2007 to February 2008. Indiscriminate trapping methods meant many threatened migratory birds and resident birds were killed, he said.

"In terms of Europe, Cyprus are probably the worst trapping offenders," Hellicar told Reuters.

Blackcaps, robins and song thrushes are the main targets, caught in thickets of vegetation in fine mist nets or on sticks dipped in sticky lime. Birds are lured to coastal areas by birdsong recordings. There are also suggestions that boats are also being used for trappings at sea.

One tiny bird, served picked, fried or grilled, goes for five euros each in some taverns, BirdLife said.

Chinese Parks 'Sell Tiger Wine'
BBC News, June 10, 2008

Illegal "tiger bone wine" is still being made and sold by some animal parks in China, say campaigners.

The Environmental Investigation Agency says staff at two parks offered to sell the drink, made from carcasses soaked in rice wine, to its researchers.

The trade in parts of the endangered species has been subject to an international ban since 1987, and has been outlawed in China since 1989.

Despite global conservation efforts, tiger numbers continue to decline.

There are an estimated to be 3,500-7,500 tigers left in the wild, compared with roughly 100,000 at the start of the 20th Century.

'Closed market' sales

The UK-based NGO said its investigators found that the wine, deemed to be a health tonic to treat conditions such as arthritis and rheumatism, was being openly advertised at the parks.

Staff said the wine was made from tigers that had died after fighting with other big cats at the venues.

One park produced what they said was a government permit that allowed the sale of the tiger-derived wine on the premises, but the EIA researchers said it was not possible to verify whether the permit was genuine.

The EIA said a senior worker, when questioned by its researchers, said that she was aware that the tigers were a protected species and trading of any part of the animals "in the open market" was prohibited.

But the agency said that she went on to explain that the permit allowed "closed market" sales of the wine; in other words, it could be sold from the park's premises.

Debbie Banks, head of the EIA's tiger campaign, called on the Chinese authorities to close down the illegal trade.

"We want other parks with similar tiger attractions to be investigated to see how widespread this tiger-bone wine-making practice is," she said.

"We also want the authorities to give a clear message to the business community that this illegal trade will not be tolerated."

Tiger farms

Conservationists estimate that tigers now only occupy just 7% of their historical range, primarily as a result of habitat loss, hunting and poaching.

End of the tiger tale?

They believe that there are just 2,500 breeding adults left in the wild and without more resources made available to protect the animals, the cats face an uncertain future.

Since the 1980s, a number of "tiger farms" have been set up in China. These establishments are believed to house about 5,000 captive tigers, possibly more than remain in the wild.

During last year's high-level summit of the global Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), the Chinese delegation raised the possibility of ending its domestic ban in order to allow the use of farmed tiger parts.

They argued that this would prove to be the most sustainable option because it would satisfy the demand from traditional medicine practitioners without threatening the wild tiger population.

Although this approach was supported by some conservation groups, others warned that it would undermine efforts by the Chinese government to curb poaching.

They said that it would be cheaper to kill a wild tiger than to rear a captive one, and it would be very difficult to tell the difference between the two.

"Lifting the ban would increase demand and lead to a surge in poaching," said Ms Banks.

"It would be far too easy to launder their skins, bones and parts among those from legalised tiger farms. This would effectively declare an open season on wild tigers."

Indiana Jones Star Fights for Tigers

ABC2News.com, Jun 9, 2008

Harrison Ford is out to save the tiger with a little help from the World Bank.

The Indiana Jones star joined World Bank head Robert Zoellick at a National Zoo press conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday, held to promote conservationism.

The World Bank is teaming up with a number of celebrities in a bid to highlight the desperate plight of the endangered tiger.

Ford, who is famous for his support of environmental causes and efforts to protect wildlife migratory patterns, said, "I'm here to celebrate the World Bank's plan to form a global alliance of conservation partners, to work with the tiger range nations in order to secure a future for these magnificent creatures."

Bo Derek and actor Robert Duvall joined Ford at the World Bank's initiative for tigers.

Duvall told reporters he has always been a huge tiger fan, stating the big cats are, "the single most beautiful animal in the world."

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