How toilet paper is threatening Indonesia's tigers

Precious tiger habitat also disappearing

February 2012: Our choice of toilet paper could be contribute to the destruction of Indonesian rainforest and tiger habitat, according to a World Wildlife Fund.

A new WWF report finds that Asian Pulp & Paper (APP), the fifth-largest tissue producer in the world and a subsidiary of the Sinar Mas, is rapidly expanding into the American market with paper that is linked to rainforest destruction, originating from areas that are the last home for critically endangered species such as Sumatran tigers, elephants, and orangutans.

Products made with APP fibre, such as toilet paper, paper towels and tissue, are increasingly landing in American grocery stores, restaurants, schools and hotels across the country under the Paseo and Livi brand names.

Retailers are removing APP products from storesEight large retailers – BI-LO, Brookshire Grocery Company, Delhaize Group (owner of Food Lion chain), Harris Teeter, Kmart, Kroger, SUPERVALU, and Weis Markets – have decided to stop carrying tissue products made with APP fibre during the past several months.

‘We applaud the decision by these companies to remove these products from their stores,' said Jan Vertefeuille, head of WWF's Tiger Campaign.

Since it began operating in Indonesia in 1984, WWF estimates that APP and its affiliates have pulped nearly 5 million acres of tropical forest on the island of Sumatra, which equals an area roughly the size of 4 million football fields or larger than the state of Massachusetts.

Consumers aren't aware about the impact on faraway forests‘Consumers shouldn't have to choose between tigers and toilet paper,' said Linda Kramme, a WWF forest expert. ‘We're asking retailers, wholesalers and consumers not to buy Paseo or Livi products until APP stops clearing rainforests in Sumatra.'

The report adds: ‘More than 50 per cent of shoppers say they consider sustainability when they shop, but people may not be aware that products used every day, like paper and tissue, can be linked to devastating impacts on forests in faraway places.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/rainforest-tissue.html

India’s tigers are making a comeback

Breeding success across many reserves

February 2012: India is home to the world's largest population of wild tigers - and more positive news is emerging from the country, with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) pointing to the number of new cubs as a good measure of success.

'Where they are being well protected, where there is a good relationship between forest officials, scientists and NGOs, tigers are breeding and returning to the forests from which they once vanished and taking up residence rather than just being transient,' said EIA campaign leader Debbie Banks.

News of cubs in Kudremukh National Park, in Karnataka, which has historically been ravaged by iron ore mining, and of 25 tigers residing in the Sathyamangalam forests of Tamil Nadu is further testimony to the emergence of the southern states as tiger conservation champions.

Assam now home to more than 140 tigersKanha Tiger Reserve has 21 to 23 cubs; Pench Tiger Reserve has 21 cubs, while in Panna Tiger Reserve translocated tigers have given birth to seven cubs.

Further north, tigers have returned to the Nandhor Valley of Uttarakhand, while Assam is home to 143 tigers, 118 in Kaziranga National Park alone - the highest tiger population density in the country.

While the EIA admit things are still far from perfect - poaching, habitat loss and human/tiger conflict continue to put pressure on the country's tiger population- they are delighted with the progress being made.

Debbie added: ‘None of us can take our foot off the gas when it comes to saving tigers. But what the good news from India tells us is that the tiger's decline is not an irreversible situation; that with the right set of circumstances, tiger populations can recover, and with them the watershed forests that all our futures depend on. 

‘We must take heart that we are on the right path.' 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tiger-comeback.html

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Truck Stop Tiger Permit Pulled

By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press
GROSSE TETE, La. -- Leonard Foster peered into the cage holding the 550-pound tiger at the Tiger Truck Stop in Louisiana and snapped one photo after another in awe.

"He's so big. He's wonderful," exclaimed Foster, a 47-year-old trucker from Atlanta.

Foster might just be lucky to see the tiger when he did. If a state district judge's ruling stands, this tiger named Tony may not be at the truck stop much longer. And gone will be one of the biggest curiosities for truckers and motorists coming off a nearby interstate into the south Louisiana community of Grosse Tete.

Judge Mike Caldwell ruled Wednesday in favor of a motion by the Animal Legal Defense Fund to force the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to revoke the permit that allows Tiger Truck Stop Inc. and its owner, Michael Sandlin, to keep the tiger at the business.

For years, the Siberian-Bengal mix has been a draw for gawking motorists who patronize this truck stop, buying food, gassing up and sticking around to get a picture with Tony. Since he was 11 weeks old, Tony has been at the truck stop, bottle fed as a cub.

Sandlin and the truck stop company argue that moving the tiger now would be cruel.

But Caldwell disagreed. His ruling also would bar Wildlife and Fisheries from issuing a new permit to keep Tony at the stop. He ruled that the agency failed to abide by its own rules in issuing the permit, rules that state tigers must be owned by an individual. The corporation that owns the truck stop is listed as the tiger's owner.

Caldwell had issued a similar ruling in May. But in August, an appeals court ruled Caldwell had to hold another hearing to collect input from Tiger Truck Stop Inc. and Sandlin.

Sandlin's attorney, Steve LeBlanc, pointed out in court that seven other tigers beside Tony have been kept at the truck stop in the past 22 years and none ever escaped.

The truck stop is neatly kept, flowers blooming outside, on a quiet road away from the interstate. The cage has a grassy area, a large water tank for Tony to swim in, hanging tire and other toys - even shade and an air-conditioned den.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund contends it's dangerous holding a big tiger at a business. It recalled last month's episode when an owner of exotic wildlife in Ohio released wild animals before taking his life.

"Louisiana has a law designed to protect people from animals like this," said Lisa Franzetta, a defense fund spokeswoman.

Wildlife and Fisheries has rules requiring the owner of such an animal to live on the premises. But Sandlin's home is about five miles away, even though an employee lives at the stop and the business is staffed around the clock every day of the year.

Sandlin said all employees have taken the state hunter safety course, there's a written plan to handle an escape and a "kill gun" and a tranquilizer gun are kept at the stop.

The 3,600-square-foot cage is surrounded by a 10-foot chain link fence topped with barbed wire, set back several feet.

"I've seen the exhibit and I think the tiger is safe from the public and the public is safe from him," said Rick Dietz, general curator at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. "That does not rule out operator error, but that could happen anywhere."

But on this sunny afternoon, the tiger paced languidly and none watching cited safety concerns.
One man ate fried chicken nearby. Another sought a picture of himself and the tiger behind him.

"I don't worry about it being unsafe," said Ricky Arnold, a local who brought his 3-year-old son. "He's got that big old cage and nothing has happened all these years."

The defense fund has argued the enclosure is substandard and the arrangement unsuitable.
"It's just common sense that a tiger doesn't belong in a truck stop," Franzetta said.

Sandlin notes the pen and the tiger are inspected annually by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Neither he nor Wildlife and Fisheries have decided if they will appeal Wednesday's ruling. Sandlin said he was more inclined to sue authorities to force them to issue another permit.

"I've done everything they ever told me to do," he said, tears brimming in his eyes. "There is no reason to say I can't keep my tiger. He is my pet, not just an advertising gimmick."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/03/truck-stop-tiger_n_1073640.html?ref=weird-news

Is it a tiger? Is it a leopard?

By: Ranjeet Jadhav

Date:  2011-11-07

Place: Mumbai

A milkman claims to have seen a tigress with cubs in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, but forest officials are convinced that what he saw must be a leopard

If Balu Shinde is to be believed, you may not have to travel to the distant Tadoba Tiger Reserve or Ranthambore National Park to spot a tiger anymore. The 46-year-old milk distributor claims to have spotted a tigress and her two cubs behind Mahananda Dairy in Aarey colony on Friday.

The forest officials, however, refute his claims and say that it's not possible to spot a tiger in Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) for the simple reason that there aren't any in the park. They believe that Shinde must have spotted a leopardess, which locals have frequently spotted in the area, roaming with her two cubs.

Bombay Natural History Society Project Head (Forest) Krishna Tiwary said, "With no evidence, it's impossible to say that a tiger was spotted within the limits of the Aarey colony area."

No doubt it's a tiger
Shinde, however, is adamant that he saw a tiger at 8.45 pm on Friday. He said, "My colleagues and I were standing within the premises of the dairy when we heard people screaming, claiming that they have spotted a tiger. We immediately rushed to the gate in our jeep towards the Aarey colony forest. With our headlights switched on, we reached the gate; I was shocked to see a full-grown tigress along with her two cubs. We then saw them run into the forest." Shinde added, "I am certain that the creature I saw was a tiger. It had stripes on its body and not black spots like leopards do."

In 2003, tribals residing in the forest claimed to have seen a tiger at Nagla block, towards the northern end of SGNP. In order to verify their claims, officials from the forest department undertook a detailed study in the area. After verifying the pugmarks and looking at the bullock that was killed by the predator, it was confirmed that the animal spotted by the tribals was indeed a tiger. Since then, however, there have not been any tiger sightings in or around the park.

Taking note of the reported sighting, the estate department of Mahanand Dairy has written a letter to SGNP. Another letter has been dispatched to the local police station.

Chief Conservator of Forests and Director of SGNP Sunil Limaye said, "As soon as we received information that locals had spotted a wild animal, we sent our team to the spot and installed two camera traps in the area, so that images of the animal can be captured, if it visits the area again."

An animal expert revealed that the chances of a tiger sighting in the area were very slim. "The SGNP forest is a highly disturbed forest. There are many human settlements inside the park and tigers cannot adjust themselves in this kind of forest, as they prefer a dense forest as their habitat. If tigers were dwelling in the SGNP forest, they would have mauled the tribals. Tigers cannot stay in close proximity to human settlements, the way leopards can. The man must have seen a full-grown leopard."

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/nov/071111-Is-it-a-tiger-Is-it-a-leopard.htm

Appeal to trace tiger toy owner after police alert

A concerned member of the public contacted police

believing the stuffed toy was a real tiger

22 May 2011

Police are trying to trace the owner of a life-sized tiger toy which sparked a major police alert in Hampshire over fears a real animal was on the loose.

Officers were deployed and a helicopter was scrambled with specialist thermal imaging cameras over the field, near Hedge End, on Saturday afternoon.

The scare stopped play at the Rose Bowl cricket ground for 20 minutes.

Hampshire police said the toy was being treated as lost property but they were investigating whether it was a hoax.

They said they did not know how it got there but was similar to one which would be won at a fair.

Tranquiliser darts

The alarm was raised by a member of the public who spotted what they thought was an escaped white tiger hiding in a field, through a camera's zoom lens.

Officers said they had responded as if it was a real incident, close to junction seven of the M27.

The stuffed toy is being treated as lost property

Animal specialists at nearby Marwell Zoo were enlisted by police to offer advice and were prepared to send a team with tranquiliser darts to overcome the tiger.

John Pullen, curator of mammals, said: "We offered advice to the police and we immediately gathered a team of staff who have been trained to deal with situations such as this.

"We were moments away from making the journey when we received a call from police to say it was a stuffed toy."

Golfers at County Golf Club were also escorted from the course and Saturday's cricket game between Hamsphire Academy and South Wilts was suspended for about half an hour.

Tony Middleton, Hampshire Cricket Academy director, added: "Rumours came round that there was a tiger on the golf course and we just carried on playing until a policeman came over and told us to clear the area.

"I assumed there was [a tiger] with everything that was going on, but we felt quite safe here."

Officers discovered it to be a stuffed toy after it rolled over in the down draft from the police helicopter.

"It is being treated as lost property but we don't know how it came to be in the field and whether it may have been a hoax.

"Police are keen to reiterate that they have a duty to protect the public and therefore take calls of this nature as serious as any other calls reporting potential dangers to members of the public," a spokeswoman said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-13491268
(Submitted by Sherri Joyce)

Hampshire 'tiger sighting' causes major alert

21 May 2011

A stuffed toy animal led to a large-scale police operation in Hampshire and stopped play at the Rose Bowl cricket ground.

The alarm was first raised by a concerned member of the public who believed there was an escaped white tiger hiding in a field near Hedge End.

Officers were sent to the scene along with a helicopter and thermal imaging cameras, at about 1600 BST on Saturday.

When no body heat was detected police moved in and found a cuddly toy tiger.

A police spokesperson said officers had responded as if it was a real incident, close to junction seven of the M27.

Contingency plans were even put in place to close the motorway, but that proved unnecessary.

Police enlisted the help from animal experts at nearby Marwell Zoo, who offered advice and were prepared to send a team with tranquiliser darts to overcome the tiger.

The Rose Bowl said a game between South Wiltshire and Hampshire Academy was stopped for about 20 minutes before they were given the all clear to continue.

Golfers at a nearby golf course were also told to go indoors.

Camera lens

"A member of the public reported seeing a tiger lying in a field in Hedge End.

"They had seen it through the zoom lens of a camera," a police spokesman said.

"We sent some local officers to the field and they confirmed they were looking at it and it was was looking at them.

"Everyone who had seen it, including the land owner, thought it was a real tiger."

The spokesman said although the police action could attract criticism about costs, the force would have been praised if it had been real.

"The safety of the public was the number one priority," he added.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-13486698

Amur tigers in population crisis

Monday, 28 February 2011
By Victoria Gill
Science and nature reporter, BBC News

The effective population of the critically endangered Amur tiger is now fewer than 14 animals, say scientists.

Approximately 500 Amur tigers actually survive in the wild, but the effective population is a measure of the genetic diversity of the world's largest cat.

Very low diversity means any vulnerability to disease or rare genetic disorders is likely to be passed on to the next generation.

So these results paint a grim picture for the tiger's chance of survival.

The findings are reported in the journal Mammalian Biology.

The Amur tiger, or Siberian tiger as it is also known, once lived across a large portion of northern China, the Korean peninsula, and the southernmost regions of eastern Russia.

During the early 20th Century, the Amur tiger was almost driven to extinction, as expanding human settlements, habitat loss and poaching wiped out this biggest of cats from over 90% of its range.

By the 1940s, just 20 to 30 individuals survived in the wild. The new study has identified that this recent "genetic bottleneck" - when the breeding population of tigers was so critically low - has decimated the Amur tiger gene pool.

A more genetically diverse population of animals has a much better chance of survival; it is more likely, for example, to contain the genetic resistance to a variety of diseases and less likely to succumb to rare genetic disorders, which can be "cancelled out" by healthy genes.

'Worryingly low'

Scientists in Russia, Spain and Germany worked together to analyse DNA samples from 15 wild Amur tigers in the Russian Far East.

They took blood samples from the animals and screened them for certain "markers" - points in the DNA code that show that an animal had parents that were genetically very different from each other.

The results revealed evidence of the genetic bottleneck during the tigers' recent history, when the variety of genes being passed on dramatically reduced.

Genetically speaking, the Amur tiger has not recovered from this.

"Our results are the first to demonstrate a quite recent genetic bottleneck in Siberian tigers, a result that matches the well-documented severe demographic decline of the Siberian tiger population in the 1940s," the researchers wrote in the paper.

"The worryingly low effective population size challenges the optimism for the recovery of the huge Siberian cat."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9407000/9407744.stm
(Submitted by Dawn Holloway)

Hip cat: Tiger gets landmark artificial joint operation

Published: 27 Jan 11 16:03 CET

A tiger in Germany has become the world's first to be given an artificial hip after a three-hour-operation by a team of vets that she only barely survived, Leipzig University said on Thursday.

Girl, as the Malayan tiger at Halle Zoo in eastern Germany is known, had been in visible pain for close to a year because of problems in her right hip joint, the university said.

"Malayan tigers are one of the world's most endangered species, with only around 500 estimated to be living in the wild. This was another reason to operate on Girl," a statement said.

The ferocious eight-year-old feline patient was not that long in the tooth either, with a life expectancy of 20.

During the operation by five specialists, Girl's heart came close to stopping, but anaesthetist Michaele Alef was able to save her.

Girl is now recovering in a separate enclosure back in Halle Zoo, and once a six-week danger period when the new hip could dislocate is over, there is a chance that it will last her the rest of her life.

"We are happy," said Peter Boettcher, another member of the team that also included Italian Aldo Vezzoni, a specialist with a wealth of experience fitting artificial hips in dogs, who worked for free.

Artificial hips of the kind implanted into Girl were first developed by professor Pierre Montavon from the University of Zurich with Swiss firm Kyon, and contain titanium for better performance and durability.

They were first used only in dogs but in recent years have also been implanted in humans.

AFP/rm

http://www.thelocal.de/society/20110127-32711.html

Hip cat: Tiger gets landmark artificial joint operation

Published: 27 Jan 11 16:03 CET

A tiger in Germany has become the world's first to be given an artificial hip after a three-hour-operation by a team of vets that she only barely survived, Leipzig University said on Thursday.

Girl, as the Malayan tiger at Halle Zoo in eastern Germany is known, had been in visible pain for close to a year because of problems in her right hip joint, the university said.

"Malayan tigers are one of the world's most endangered species, with only around 500 estimated to be living in the wild. This was another reason to operate on Girl," a statement said.

The ferocious eight-year-old feline patient was not that long in the tooth either, with a life expectancy of 20.

During the operation by five specialists, Girl's heart came close to stopping, but anaesthetist Michaele Alef was able to save her.

Girl is now recovering in a separate enclosure back in Halle Zoo, and once a six-week danger period when the new hip could dislocate is over, there is a chance that it will last her the rest of her life.

"We are happy," said Peter Boettcher, another member of the team that also included Italian Aldo Vezzoni, a specialist with a wealth of experience fitting artificial hips in dogs, who worked for free.

Artificial hips of the kind implanted into Girl were first developed by professor Pierre Montavon from the University of Zurich with Swiss firm Kyon, and contain titanium for better performance and durability.

They were first used only in dogs but in recent years have also been implanted in humans.

AFP/rm

http://www.thelocal.de/society/20110127-32711.html