Sumatran Tigers are the smallest sub-species, and they are critically endangered with around 350 tigers left in the wild. The Sumatran Tiger, as its name suggests, is found only on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

Sumatran Tigers are distinctive for being the only subspecies to live in isolation on a large island they have been isolated from their cousins on mainland Asia for over 10,000 years; this happened after a rise in sea level.

At the turn of the 20th century, there were three subspecies of tiger in Indonesia – the Bali tiger (on Bali) the Javan tiger (Java) and the Sumatran. Today both the Bali and Javan tigers are EXTINCT and only the Sumatran tiger survives.

Sumatra prior to 1900 was largely covered in primary forest and the tiger was more or less found throughout the entire island. Today just 100 years later its distribution has become fragmented and substantially reduced. Although found in all the islands eight provinces in highly populated areas such as the provinces of North Sumatra and Lampung, the animal has been squeezed out. It is sad to not that only about 350 wild Sumatran tigers are believed to exist, primarily in the island’s five national parks.

Greatest Threats

Today the greatest threat to the Sumatran Tiger is Man. In Sumatra, tiger habitat is shrinking fast with timber resources being exploited on a large scale. The tiger in Sumatra faces precarious prospects if its present distribution continue to be substantially reduced and populations become small, fragmented and isolated from one another. Loss of their natural habitat often leads tigers to move into settled areas in search of food, where they then encounter problems.

Tiger poaching and the illegal trading of tiger parts and products is one of the most immediate threats to the Sumatran tiger. Chinese medicine has spread throughout Asia. Nearly every part of the tiger is reported to have healing properties from the eyeball-a treatment for epilepsy to the whiskers – a cure for tooth ache.

Symbolic History of the Tiger

Tigers (and all other carnivores) are descended from civet-like animals called miacids that lived alongside the DINOSAURS about 60 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found which put the tiger in Indonesia 2 million years ago

Images of tigers have been discovered as far back as 1700 B.C. (4,000 years ago) and throughout history the tiger has been a symbol of both power and strength. Used as executioners in Asian courts; for entertainment in European gladiatorial combats; and as a status symbol for monarchs.

Tigers have long been thought to hold some mystical, supernatural power. The shang people of China believed tigers (lau hu) were messengers between the human and spirit world, images of tigers were placed upon tombs to warn off evil spirits. In the Hindu religion Shiva the destroyer rides a tiger (Bagh) and wears a tiger skin, followers of Buddah ride tigers to show their supernatural ability to overcome evil. Forest dwellers of India built shrines and temples to worship them, Islam followers in Sumatra believe tigers (rimau) punish sinners on behalf of Allah.

Captive Tigers in Zoos

Approximately 361 captive Sumatran Tigers live in zoos around the world. In addition to the 119 Sumatran tigers living in Indonesian zoos, there are 73 tigers managed by North American zoos, 98 in European zoos, and 2 8in Australasian zoos. (Source International Tiger Studbook – courtesy of Zoological Society of London)

More Information about Donations

If you feel inclined to help the survival of these wondrous and beautiful wild creatures, you may visit the Sumatran Tiger Trust, and become a proud foster parent of a wild Sumatran Tiger.

100% of money raised finances tiger monitoring, habitat preservation, community development, anti poaching patrols, park ranger training and the purchase of essential field equipment. (Activities managed under the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Programme, a collaborative conservation partnership with the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) of the Indonesian Department of Forestry.)
It is this field equipment – notably remote cameras that have provided us with these magnificent rare shots of these otherwise elusive wild, free animals going about their daily lives within Sumatra’s National Parks.

Your generosity will entitle you to a certificate of adoption, complete with a photograph of your chosen tiger. Also, we promise to keep you informed of your tigers progress and update you on sightings and in recognition of your support will add your name to the roll of honor to be displayed in the park and on the website.

When I first began to blog about the Earth and the natural world, I knew it would not be easy. Sometimes I become overwhelmed with all of the avoidable tragedies occuring on a global scale. Some days I feel it is a downhill battle, and I become discouraged. Yet most days I am optimistic, and strive for a better place for all of us (man and animal alike) to live in a harmonious balance. I have been in the middle of an unpleasant battle on my own homefront. My family is in turmoil, and I am falling short of my environmental and nature goals. This does not mean I have given up. It just means my skills as a parent and concientious human being have been shifted to a different front as of late.

Today I would like to share a message which touches upon a subject dear to my heart. I have followed the journey of Koko the Gorilla for a very long time. I love all animals, yet Koko has endeared herself quite soundly! Let’s take a few moments to delve into the most current chapter of Koko’s story, and see what we can do to help out…

I wanted to share some exciting news with you ? the United Nations has declared 2009 The Year of the Gorilla. I urge you to observe this with us by renewing your commitment to the Gorilla Foundation today.

During this special year, we all need to intensify our efforts to raise awareness and encourage action.? Gorillas need more than a stimulus package; they need a safety net. Your gift today will allow us to:

Please donate today

Thank you so very much, and please accept my deepest gratitude for your generous donations during this very special year.

Penny and Koko

Penny Patterson, President and Director of Research
Koko, “Fine animal gorilla person”

PS: When you donate, you’ll receive an official Gorilla Foundation membership card (above right) and unique gorilla bookmarks (right) in addition to all of our other membership benefits. If you’ve already renewed your support (or are an APE member) thank you so much!

After working so long and hard to enable protection for our Wolves, it is quite frustrating to see there are still so many ignorant and heartless people who are trying to devastate the Wolf populations in the Greater Yellowstone park and other places. Some people do not seem to understand that the Creator placed the animals here to help keep the Balance on this planet, and humans do not have the right to destroy and elimate at will, or to their own pleasure. Please step up with compassion to help put a stop to the wanton slaughter of our beautiful Wolf brothers and sisters who have the right to Life and Freedom as much as Humans do. I would like to share a letter and plea for help that I just recieved from Defenders of Wildlife. This is vital, and we do not have the time to mess around on this one, as Wolves will die if we do not put a stop to the madness…

Dear Teri,

I have some terrible news. Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that he would follow the discredited path of the Bush Administration and delist wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region.

This is a stunning development, just six weeks into the Obama Administration. This delisting paves the way for almost 1000 wolves to be killed under deadly state management plans in Idaho and Montana.

The killing could begin in just weeks.

As I write this, we are already preparing an emergency legal challenge to this harmful proposal — and we’ll be in court as quickly as possible. But we need your help for the legal fight ahead.

Please make an emergency donation now to support our Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Wolf Legal Defense Fund.

This delisting will put the fate of our wolves in the hands of state governments that want to slaughter nearly 1,000 wolves. Last year, when federal wolf protections were temporarily lifted in the region, more than 100 wolves were killed in just a short time – including the world renowned “Limpy.”

In addition, regular wolf hunting seasons could begin as early as this fall in Idaho and Montana — and Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter said again today that he still wants the first available hunting tag to shoot a wolf himself.

We can’t allow the out-of-control killing of wolves to happen again.

Please donate now to support our emergency legal challenge to protect our wolves in the Northern Rockies.

For more than 35 years, Defenders of Wildlife has fought for our wolves. We were there when the first wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and we’ve been there to defend them ever since. We’ve beaten back efforts to prematurely delist these wolves in the past, and I’m confident we can do so again.

Just this week, we celebrated a hard-fought victory made possible with your help as the Senate voted to overturn the Bush Administration’s last-minute gutting of the Endangered Species Act. We now need to beat back another deadly Bush-era plan that will open the door to the slaughter of nearly 1,000 wolves.

Please donate what you can today to save the lives of wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone.

Together, we can win our legal challenge of the same bad plan originally put forth in the last throes of the Bush Administration — and ensure that our wolves will continue to be around for future generations.

Sincerely,

Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. Your donation through our secure website will ensure that your contribution will be put to immediate work. You can also donate by calling 1-800-385-9712.

Here is a great opportunity to share your own experiences of the wild places you love. Perhaps you love to hike, camp, kayak, hunt, fish, explore or capture nature through photos or art. Whatever pleasure nature brings you can be a great story to share with the world.

The “Your Lands, Your Wildlife, Your Story” contest from Defenders of Wildlife is an opportunity for fans of America’s public lands to share their stories. Six great prizes are up for grabs, including $1,000 in gift cards to REI for the best overall story.

Defenders will accept submissions through Nov. 30, 2008 at www.YourLandsYourWildlife.org or by direct mail. Submissions will be accepted in five categories: hunting, fishing, birding, wildlife watching and photography, and backcountry adventure. The contest winners will be announced in January, 2009.

Choose from one of the following categories, and in 500 words or less, tell about…

Birding: The time you got to check that rare bird off your life-list, or the one that you’re still searching for.

Fishing: What made your last fishing trip to our public lands so great: the huge fish you reeled in, the one that got away, or the other wildlife that you saw while you fished?

Hunting: A hunt on public lands that brought you within a few yards of your quarry or just closer to your hunting buddies and nature.

Outdoor Adventure: The wildlife you saw on the last peak you bagged, camping in the backcountry, or along a simple walk through the woods.

Photography/Wildlife Watching: The extraordinary wildlife you captured in a nature photograph or an interesting encounter you had while in a National Forest or on BLM lands.

I’ll just bet there are some really great stories just waiting to be told about people’s adventures in the wilderness. These lands are so very important for Life and the future, and we owe it to our children to leave them a legacy where there are plenty of wild places to visit, explore and enjoy throughout time.

These lands are bursting with wildlife. Unchecked, unsustainable development is threatening U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. Nearly 3,000 wildlife species and 10,000 plant species inhabit these 449 million acres, and they depend on these federal agencies to keep these lands healthy.

We need to present a united stand against radical exploitations upon nature. There are clean alternatives to our energy and fuel needs, and these are the areas that need to be explored and addressed in a responsible manner. Science brings us technologies which can help shape the future in a clean, positive way. Let’s hear your stories today… don’t miss the November 30th deadline to get those stories told!

Visit Your Lands, Your Wildlife, Your Story today to learn more.

I really love it when I have good news to share. The recent find of a large population of lowland gorillas in the Republic of the Congo, alive and totally thriving, is to my eyes a great find indeed! The Wildlife Conservation Society released a recent census which has astounding numbers. According to the new census, they have tallied more than 125,000 of these elusive gorillas in two adjacent areas in the northern part of the country, covering an area of 18,000 square miles (47,000 square kilometers). It is said that previous estimates from the 1980s placed the entire population of western lowland gorillas, which occur in seven Central African nations, at less than 100,000. However, according to popular belief, scientists had believed that this number had at least halved, due to hunting and disease.

WCS says a combination of factors led to such high numbers of gorillas including: successful long-term conservation management of the Republic of Congo’s protected areas; remoteness and inaccessibility of some of the key locations where the gorillas were found; and a food-rich habitat, particularly in some of the swamp forests and the herb-rich “Marantaceae” forests.

While this is excellent news indeed, now we need to work fast to make sure protections are put in place for these precious creatures. There is always the danger of potential deforestation as well as illegal poaching, now that this discovery has been made public. Across Central Africa, gorillas face the looming threats of hunting for bushmeat and the spread of the Ebola virus, which is lethal to gorillas as well as humans. WCS is working with partners to combat Ebola, eliminate commercial hunting, and secure this last stronghold for Africa’s apes. WCS cautioned that many of the gorillas live outside of existing protected areas, though the Government of Congo has committed to creating a new national park in the Ntokou-Pikounda region.

Let’s just hope folks sit up and listen, and realize how important it is for us to protect our wildlife and wild places, for the resources they provide in the long term are so very precious. Nature provides so many treasures and as stewards of this planet we must preserve the green world and the wild creatures who help create the balance.

For more detailed information you may wish to visit Wildlife Conservation Society

Here is a great place to get some amazing Gorilla Facts!

When I think of the American plains, I imagine the sweet grasses blowing in the wind, and the wild Buffalo roaming with their herds. The Buffalo are most Sacred to my people. They were placed here for some very good reasons, as they spread the seeds and fertilized the land. Once they provided food and materials for shelter and clothing for the peoples of this land. It is amazing to imagine how brilliantly the Creator of this world set things in motion so very long ago. From the tiniest microbe to the mightiest predator. Each living creature having a purpose, and given the chance to evolve in a natural way. To think that the beings who believe themselves most intelligent cannot see the widsom behind this, and are the ones destroying the balance so painstakingly created to maintain Life on this Earth. Such folly can be credited to a foolish, yet supposed intelligent race, when we should be providing good stewardship in caring for the environment. Nature knows how to do her job… why is it so hard to do ours?

Alas, it tears at my heart when I try to find good news to pass along to my readers. I mean, shouldn’t there be a Balance of as much good as bad? I know the saying goes ‘it is always darkest before the dawn’, yet must so much be destroyed before the Balance can be restored? Our songs and traditions speak of such a Beautiful and Bountiful land, yet when we look around, where has the bounty gone? And what are we doing to all the Beautiful places? What legacy are we truly leaving our children and future generations? Wow… I am feeling depressed about this walk, and that is not good. I am usually so optimistic in feeling I can make a difference, and days like this cause me to feel so helpless and small in the scheme of things. How can one small being such as myself even hope to make a dent in this daunting task?

Well then, I suppose I must pass along the news which prompted my sadness in this moment…

For years, BioGems Defenders have fought to halt the U.S. government’s systematic capture and killing of Yellowstone’s bison — better known as American buffalo — as they roam beyond the boundaries of the park in search of food during the harsh winter months. But this year the rate of slaughter has reached unprecedented proportions with more than 1,400 buffalo dead — fully 30 percent of the buffalo population. In response, the NRDC Action Fund, our partner organization, is mobilizing a massive outcry to stop the killing.

» Tell the National Park Service to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo.

I would like to think we can make a difference if we put our minds to it and work together. I truly would like to spread some good news in letting people know there is a safe, bountiful and beautiful place in which the remaining Buffalo may roam and grow plentiful once again.

Wow, I almost missed this one! I am really busy playing catch-up after taking a bit of time away from taking care of business, so I wish to offer a belated ~*~ Happy Birthday ~*~ to the wonderful people who have dedicated so much to the World’s wildlife… Defenders of Wildlife.

Defenders of Wildlife was born on March 25, 1947, which makes them 61 years old. They rightly feel it is the people who contribute, no matter how big or small, who deserve credit for the victories scored throughout the years. So I would like to extend a special ‘thank you’ from my heart to all those who have offered up their support, in their own special way, in this fight to save the Earths beautiful, strange and totally unique creatures. It matters not how you help… what counts is your love and dedication to preserve that which naturally belongs on this planet, all of which is part of the great Balance.

Here are just a few victories Defenders wish to celebrate thanks to all the wonderful supporters…

And a word from the Defenders of Wildlife…

As we celebrate these achievements, we’re also looking forward. Our wildlife faces some pretty daunting challenges — and we’re ready to tackle them with you by our side.

We’ll continue our 35-year fight to ensure the long-term survival of wolves in the Greater Yellowstone region and beyond. And our biggest challenge will be addressing global warming and its impacts on our wildlife.

Thanks to you, we’ve been there for our wildlife and wild places — and with your help, we’ll continue to be there well into the future.

Let’s take a few moments to check in and see how we are doing in our fight to save America’s Wolves.

Yesterday, Defenders of Wildlife and eleven other conservation groups filed a lawsuit in federal court and asked for an emergency injunction to stop the slaughter of Greater Yellowstone’s wolves and restore some common sense to wolf management in the Northern Rockies.

The case, Defenders of Wildlife vs. Hall, is our second legal challenge since January aimed at preserving one of the greatest conservation victories in the last century — the return of wolves to the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone.

These legal efforts wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous support of caring supporters like you who have made more than 8,000 individual contributions to help support our work over the last weeks and months.

But our fight isn’t limited to the courts. Since the Bush Administration ended protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies, at least fourteen wolves have been killed in Wyoming — the most of any state in the region.

Help change the political climate that is driving the wolf slaughter. Call the Wyoming Governor’s Office at (307) 777-7434 and deliver this message:

“My name is ((Your Name)) and I’m calling from ((Your State)) because I’m deeply concerned about the widely reported killing of wolves in your state and urge your office to help ensure a lasting future for wolves in Wyoming by…

• Ending the shoot-on-sight policy that is now in effect in 88% of the state.

• Releasing a public statement urging restraint in wolf management

• Providing a full account of the number of wolves killed in Wyoming.

The return of wolves to the Northern Rockies was an amazing conservation achievement, but inadequate state protections for wolves in Wyoming and lax reporting of wolf kills are hurting Wyoming’s image and threatening an achievement that should be a point of pride for the state.”

Once you’re done, please take a moment to let us know that you called. Also, please remember to be civil on your call. Comments that are overly emotional or threatening can be disregarded by officials (or worse, used to undermine our efforts to save wolves).

Phone calls will be most effective, but you can also email Governor Freudenthal through his website.

Stay tuned for more ways to help, and as always, thank you for taking the time to make a difference.

P.S. We’ve almost met our May 16th fundraising goal for the Yellowstone Wolf Defense Fund. You can make your tax-deductible contribution online now via our secure website or you can call 1-800-385-9712 to make your contribution by phone.

In honor of my love for nature and all things natural, I am always curious to find places which represent the natural world in ways meant to benefit all, while providing quality education to help nurture a love of the wonders of nature in children. It is so very important to allow these young minds a chance to explore their natural environments, while encouraging them to learn how they too can become responsible and good stewards.

I would like to take this moment to direct those who feel as I do to a wonderful place which opened to the public on March 11th, 2008. Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center really impressed me with their history, as well as their current mission. Originally developed more than 60 years ago, through the vision of H.J Lutcher Stark, a prominent philanthropist who resided in Orange, Texas. Inspired by the mystical retreat represented in the book Lost Horizon, Stark sought to create his own haven of indescribable beauty where time would stand still. His vision became a reality in 1937 when he began creating Shangri-La Botanical Gardens within significant acreage owned by him along Adams Bayou in his hometown of Orange, Texas. Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center represents a place of enlightenment, peace and beauty.

Nestled within 252 acres in the heart of Orange, Texas, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is the first project in Texas and the 50th project in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s Platinum certification for LEED®-NC, which verifies the design and construction of Shangri La reached the highest green building and performance measures.

As one of the most earth-friendly projects in the world, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center offers a glimpse of how people can live in harmony with nature. The combination of gardens and nature at Shangri La presents a serene oasis for retreat and renewal, as well as the opportunity to explore, discover and learn. I strongly encourage you to visit the Shangri La website to learn more about the wondrous history, the tragic events which caused this beautiful place to close down for 50 years, and the current mission of this magical place of nature. You will discover an ancient Pond Cyprus tree which is at least 1,200 years old, situated within Shangri La. Don’t miss this! I will be taking my daughter on a visit real soon, you can be most certain.