HRH The Prince of Wales Speech

For the Fundraising Dinner  Sponsored by Sir David Tang and co-hosted by Sir Stephen Fry at the China Tang in the Dorchester Hotel 

Oct 1^st 2013

I am very sorry not to be able to join you in personl this evening, but I just wanted to say that I am full of admiration for Sir David Tang’s efforts to help protect China’s remaining, and much threatened, tiger population.

Along with so many others, I have been deeply concerned b the evermore alarming threats posed to the world’s unique biological diversity through large scale poaching, the illegal wildlife trade, the increasing loss of natural habitats and, on top of all this, climate change. There are few more acute and poignant manifestations of our impact on the natural world than the loss in large numbers 0 and, perish the thought – the potential extinctionin our lifetimes of a number of the world’s most inconic, charismatic and beautiful species, among which the tigers of South China – as with the rhinos and elephants of Asia and Africa –have a particular place in our imaginations and our hearts. And yet, as a result of the now catastrophic demand by consumers-chiefly in Eat Asia- for elephant ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts, we are faced with the very real possibility of the disappearance of these species from the wild.

It seems to me that all humanity is diminished if we lose these remarkable species, and indeed that humanity is less than humanity without the rest of creation. I find it inconceivable that our children and grandchildren could live in a world bereft of these animals and these species.

It is to me, therefore, a source of hope that Sir David, Stephen and all of you have gathered together this eveing to learn more and to raise vital funds not only for critically important conservation efforts, but also, I can only pray, for raising awareness amongst consumers of the terrible damage being done to the natural world through the illegal wildlife trade. These efforts can play a hugely important role, too, in encouraging a change in the attitudes of peoples and societities. But I fear we have so little time left in which to do this which is why your support and generosity are of such crucial importance.

For more info: www.ChinaTigerRevival.org.uk

Sir David Tang Host Fundraiser in Aid of China Tiger Revival

 (London, 1 Oct) Entrepreneur and founder of the China Club and Shanghai Tang, Sir David Tang, hosted a private dinner tonight at his famed China Tang restaurant in the Dorchester Hotel in London in aid of a new UK animal charity China Tiger Revival (UK) and the Princes Charities Foundation (China).

Sir David Tang, Sir Stephen Fry & Li Quan

The exclusive dinner was sponsored by Sir David Tang and co-hosted by TV presenter Stephen Fry. Over sixty guests attended the private dinner to show support.

 “We must all fight against the cruelties of the trading of animal parts. We must also rescue certain beautiful animals such as the South China Tigers. All because we want to live in a more civilized and kinder world-and for our children to do so”, said Sir David Tang. “I am sponsoring the dinner to raise money in order to maximize the awareness and education on these two vital environmental issues.”

We were extremely honoured to receive a speech from The Prince of Wales who  kindly had it delivered during the dinner and the transcript of which can be found below this news.

Li Quan, a founding director of China Tiger Revival says, “I have been engaged in tiger conservation for fourteen years and I am very proud that the tiger rewilding and reintroduction model I set out to experiment over ten years ago has now been considered a viable option to supplement wild tiger populations. I am extremely grateful to Sir David Tang for his continued support for our work to encourage China in her endeavour to protect nature, biodiversity and save endangered wildlife. We are so honored to have Sir Stephen Fry’s endorsement for the work of our new charity”.

Ian Penman, Chairman of China Tiger Revival says, “I have been to China many times and nature protection is a big issue there. We want to engage and collaborate with China to protect as well as restore nature that has been compromised”.

China Tiger Revival is a group of charities based in UK and Australia.  The mission of the charity is to save tigers and other endangered species through awareness building and education, as well as restoring and protecting their habitat in China and elsewhere in the world.

We aim to support China’s effort to re-establish wild tiger populations and other endangered species in their historical range.

We emphasize the importance of co-existence between humans and wildlife and promote conservation in China so that  wildlife conservation becomes sustainable by engaging local communities who can benefit from tiger conservation long-term.

For more information on China Tiger Revival: http://www.chinatigerrevival.org.uk

Summary of US Congressional Briefing on June 22nd 2012 by Smithsonian Zoo and Save China's Tigers

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Director Dr. Steve Montfort, and Save China's Tigers' Founding Director Ms. Li Quan, co-presented at the ICCF congressional briefing on June 22nd in Capitol Hill.

Below is a summary of the briefing:

The Role of Reintroduction: Ensuring the Continued Existence of Species in the Wild

The drivers of human-wildlife conflict often place enormous pressures on entire populations of flagship species. These threats can be so severe that, once dangers have been addressed, existing populations need to be supplemented with animals raised in captivity.

Both the Smithsonian National Zoo and Save China’s Tigers are pursuing innovative means of species preservation through reintroduction.

Dr. Monfort of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute outlined the ways in which zoos can leverage their resources to reintroduce species on the brink of extinction into the wild.

The Smithsonian believes this method of species conservation will be increasingly important for the future, as the number of endangered species has increased steadily over the past ten years.

Save China's Tigers is leading one of the most famous current "rewilding" programs - first introducing South China tigers in South Africa, which offers ideal conditions for the tigers to relearn to hunt, and eventually releasing them back into South China.

In 2008, the organization had observed their greatest milestone in a pair of tiger cubs born in South Africa in the wild, after four years of training the tigers' parents to adapt to the environment. 14 tigers are now under Save China's Tiger, 11 of them born in South Africa.