SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Saving the world’s 3,000 remaining wild
tigers is a dangerous business requiring deadly force against poachers
that sell animal parts on the international black market.
That’s what Alan Rabinowitz, a leading conservationist, said during his talk, “Saving the World’s Big Cats for the Future,” with 250 people on hand at Skidmore College.
Crime rings that traffic drugs, children and sex slaves also sell powdered tiger bones and male reproductive organs that fetch millions each year from buyers who believe they enhance sexual prowess and virility. Quite often, the animals’ flesh and beautiful skins are left to rot. “It’s all big money,” said Rabinowitz, who has travelled the world to save these large carnivores. “This species is in critical condition in the emergency room. We have to stop the bleeding. It takes law enforcement, guns and bullets.” He urged young people to take up his cause of protecting tigers and other big cats such as lions, leopards and jaguars.
Rabinowitz, a self-described “broken child,” told how he grew up with a severe stuttering impediment that led to his love for these magnificent creatures. Because he couldn’t speak freely, Rabinowitz became isolated and withdrew within himself. But he whispered to any animals he encountered and felt they understood him.
A visit to the Bronx Zoo turned out to be life-changing, especially the section where big cats were held in captivity. “I understood what it was like for them to be locked in a cage,” he said. “I felt they were like me and I was like them.”
At that moment, despite his speaking disability, he vowed to become the voice for threatened animals everywhere, especially big cats, a promise that became his life’s work and one he’s never broken.
In addition to being hunted, tigers are also faced with rapidly diminishing habitat. They’re primarily found in India and Southeast Asia, some of the most densely populated regions on the planet.
Rabinowitz showed scenes of former jungle that has been devastated by hydraulic gold-mining operations. Some of this work produces little revenue, but to poor third-world inhabitants, every penny is critical in the struggle for survival.
Previously, Rabinowitz established the world’s first jaguar preserve in Belize and a Jaguar Corridor encompassing their entire range from Mexico to Argentina. Tigers are extremely mobile and he’s hopeful that similar projects can be established in Asia before it’s too late.
In Burma, anti-poaching forest guards have been turned into paramilitary units. In some parts of India, there’s a “shoot to kill” policy against poachers.
In 1900, there were more than 100,000 wild tigers in the world. Today, there are fewer than 3,000.
However, with education, protection and habitat preservation, numbers can be brought back up to at least 10,000 to 15,000, Rabinowitz said. “Tigers and people can live together,” he said. “We can get it there.”
source
That’s what Alan Rabinowitz, a leading conservationist, said during his talk, “Saving the World’s Big Cats for the Future,” with 250 people on hand at Skidmore College.
Crime rings that traffic drugs, children and sex slaves also sell powdered tiger bones and male reproductive organs that fetch millions each year from buyers who believe they enhance sexual prowess and virility. Quite often, the animals’ flesh and beautiful skins are left to rot. “It’s all big money,” said Rabinowitz, who has travelled the world to save these large carnivores. “This species is in critical condition in the emergency room. We have to stop the bleeding. It takes law enforcement, guns and bullets.” He urged young people to take up his cause of protecting tigers and other big cats such as lions, leopards and jaguars.
Rabinowitz, a self-described “broken child,” told how he grew up with a severe stuttering impediment that led to his love for these magnificent creatures. Because he couldn’t speak freely, Rabinowitz became isolated and withdrew within himself. But he whispered to any animals he encountered and felt they understood him.
A visit to the Bronx Zoo turned out to be life-changing, especially the section where big cats were held in captivity. “I understood what it was like for them to be locked in a cage,” he said. “I felt they were like me and I was like them.”
At that moment, despite his speaking disability, he vowed to become the voice for threatened animals everywhere, especially big cats, a promise that became his life’s work and one he’s never broken.
In addition to being hunted, tigers are also faced with rapidly diminishing habitat. They’re primarily found in India and Southeast Asia, some of the most densely populated regions on the planet.
Rabinowitz showed scenes of former jungle that has been devastated by hydraulic gold-mining operations. Some of this work produces little revenue, but to poor third-world inhabitants, every penny is critical in the struggle for survival.
Previously, Rabinowitz established the world’s first jaguar preserve in Belize and a Jaguar Corridor encompassing their entire range from Mexico to Argentina. Tigers are extremely mobile and he’s hopeful that similar projects can be established in Asia before it’s too late.
In Burma, anti-poaching forest guards have been turned into paramilitary units. In some parts of India, there’s a “shoot to kill” policy against poachers.
In 1900, there were more than 100,000 wild tigers in the world. Today, there are fewer than 3,000.
However, with education, protection and habitat preservation, numbers can be brought back up to at least 10,000 to 15,000, Rabinowitz said. “Tigers and people can live together,” he said. “We can get it there.”
source
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