Tiger Plans Launched at ZSL London Zoo

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ZSL London Zoo launches first ever public appeal for fundraising. Plans for an ambitious tiger Conservation HQ at ZSL London Zoo will be lodged with Westminster Council at the end of this month, the Zoo announced today.

Launching the Zoo’s first-ever public fundraising appeal; Tiger SOS, Zoological Director David Field outlined the Zoo’s intention to build a new tiger breeding facility as part of a global conservation effort.

ZSL aims to raise £2million by 2013 to develop a conservation and breeding centre for Sumatran tigers at ZSL London Zoo and fund crucial conservation projects for their wild counterparts.

With just 300 left in the wild, the critically endangered Sumatran tiger now faces a situation so dire, that for the first time in its 186-year history, ZSL London Zoo is launching a public appeal for donations.

In just 70 years, three, possibly even four, subspecies of tiger have become extinct in the wild. Conservationists believe the Sumatran will be the next to die out.

Tiger SOS will work to reverse the fate of the Sumatran tiger using the unique position the Zoo has to connect wild tigers and zoo tigers; breeding tigers at ZSL London Zoo as part of the conservation support programme, and applying that support to our cutting edge projects to save wild tigers in Indonesia.

Five times the size of the current tiger enclosure, the new centre will give the millions of Zoo visitors the chance to get up close to these amazing animals, and provide a central hub for ZSL’s conservation work.

The European breeding programme for Sumatran tigers is coordinated from ZSL London Zoo. ZSL’s experts are responsible for ensuring a healthy and diverse population of tigers in zoos across Europe, and they work with other zoos to inspire people to care about wild tigers and to raise funds for their conservation.

In the wild, money raised through Tiger SOS will enable ZSL to increase anti-poaching patrols in Indonesia, helping to fight against the trade in tiger skins and body parts and fund the creation of wildlife corridors in tigers’ increasingly fragmented habitats.

The campaign will also allow ZSL to invest in revolutionary tiger-friendly carbon trading projects that will help to lower carbon emissions and ensure the preservation of the tigers’ precious home. By introducing financial incentives, these projects guarantee that the living forests are worth more to the Indonesian Government, both environmentally and economically, when left standing.

ZSL has the expertise, the ability and the dedication to save the tiger. All it needs is the funds. Help ZSL to Give Tigers a Tomorrow, and get involved with Tiger SOS.

ENDS

Editors’ Notes

High resolution images are available on request:-
Sumatran tigers
ZSL London Zoo Exhibit plans
ZSL field conservation projects
Tiger poaching activities

Interviews with ZSL’s Zoological Director and Conservation Programme Manager available on request, please contact Rebecca Smith to arrange.

ZSL was the first organisation in the world to dedicate itself to the scientific study of animals and their habitats. As the registered charity behind ZSL London Zoo, we have more than 100 years of experience working with tigers. We are world leaders in veterinary knowledge and tiger expertise. And for the first time in our 186-year history we are appealing to the public for funds through a fundraising campaign; Tiger SOS.

In the past 70 years three species of tiger have become extinct - the Bali, Caspian and Javan tiger. Some experts claiming that a fourth, the South China tiger, is now also extinct in the wild.

The situation for tigers is critical and ZSL has an integral role to play in their future. We are already working in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Russia to lobby policy makers, create wildlife corridors, patrol tiger habitats, carry out monitoring and work with communities to reduce human-tiger conflict. At ZSL London Zoo we bring more than 1m people each year into contact with Sumatran tigers, including more than 100,000 school children.

ZSL
Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. The Society runs ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in other countries worldwide. For further information please visit www.zsl.org