CEO of the Wild Foundation Vance Martin comments on Save China's Tigers Rewilding and Reintroduction Project

Vance Martin is CEO of the Wild Foundation, and he comments on Save China's Tigers Rewilding and Reintroduction Project

Tigers in Africa seems a fanciful thought…but they are there! Though they do not roam completely free in the wilderness, the South China Tiger can be found in carefully managed, large wildland areas in South Africa, the subject of an ambitious effort to rescue it from extinction. The 33,000ha (82,000 acre) LaohuValley Reserve is the centerpiece of Save China’s Tigers experimental bid to breed the South China Tiger and eventually return it to its natural habitat.

This effort has generated significant controversy, so I went there in January to better understand what it is doing and to determine its role in the broad spectrum of conservation work occurring around the globe. I found a valid initiative, doing good work, and fighting two battles simultaneously: one to save a tiger (arguably a sub-species), and (as if that were not enough) another to defend itself against the (sometimes) seemingly endless internal sniping of the nature conservation world. Who needs enemies when fellow conservationists often serve that function?!

I encourage you to go to the SCT website to see details. They’re making progress. I’ll just briefly give my response to some of the “sniping” I’ve heard from other groups and conservationists.

1. Tigers don’t belong in Africa. Why start a breeding facility there, almost halfway around the world from their home range? – The historically-proven and commonsense strategy to save a very small remnant population is to create geographically-separated gene pools, or small groups of the survivors, in order to protect them from potential threats such as disease, human pressure, etc. If they breed successfully, and there are adequate wild reserves in their homeland, hopefully they can be returned.
This is exactly the model established by Ian Player, WILD’s founder, when he saved the white rhino from extinction by exporting it to Europe and the US. It recovered from being virtually the most endangered rhinoceros species in the 1960’s to today being the most viable.

2. Why spend all that money on a species that is almost finished? It’s better to direct the funds to other programs trying to protect the tiger species still in the wild. Conservationists are always squabbling over the “conservation funding pie” — and tigers are the most political and financially-oriented of all such squabbles. Save China’s Tigers have done something admirable and unusual—they created a new financial vehicle to raise the vast majority of the $20 million they have spent thus far. They increased the conservation funding pie, not decreased or redirected it.
SCT’s founder and main spokesperson, Li Quan, is not a scientist or “professional conservationist,” and she needs to leave this work to the big, established groups. This is the silliest of all the criticisms I’ve heard. Firstly, the “big established groups” are trying to do their best, but the tiger populations continue to crash. More help is needed. Second, Li Quan is a dedicated volunteer and entrepreneur, committing her spirit, income, and energy to save a species (and, if I am any judge of character, she will likely do even more in the years to come). That’s what we need — more personal responsibility, commitment, thinking outside the box, and action. Third, SCT is more than Li Quan, obviously. They are well-advised scientifically and on conservation management.
This silly criticism reminds me of what many PhD scientists said amongst themselves 25 years ago when Laurie Marker (at that time a self-trained cheetah keeper in a drive-through safari park in southern Oregon) decided she would keep the main cheetah breeding book (“the stud book”). Today Dr Marker runs the most successful field project in the world to save a species, and is a formidable conservation pioneer who continues to think outside the box and get results.

3. Why work with the Chinese government? – Surely the Chinese government is not perfect on conservation—but please name a government that is? Nevertheless, the Chinese are trying, and have even garnered good recent reviews from Traffic on their call for better protection of the wild tiger and its habitat, and the decision by World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) to ban use of tiger bones and all wildlife parts. SCT has forged an agreement from the Chinese government to create several new wilderness reserves for the tiger, initially two totaling 30,000 ha (75,000 acres), and eventually with more areas set aside as part of a large, long-term strategy. This of course combines with the 33,000 ha (82,000 acres) they bought and manage privately in South Africa. Saving wild habitat is REAL conservation.
The work of SCT is emblematic of a larger issue. The condition of our wild world is far less than good. The reality is that human impacts and actions over many decades now force us sometimes into the choice between taking no action for wild nature (in this case the South China Tiger), or taking an experimental, less-than-perfect choice.

My colleague, brother, and Bengal tiger advocate Bittu Sahgal, of Sanctuary Asia, put it very succinctly to me the other day: “China needs to ensure that an inviolate forest of at least 500 sq km is set aside for the return of these near-extinct tigers. Re-wilding tigers is at best difficult, and maybe not possible. We actually don’t know. These days, we are forced by the impact of human society into a position where we have no choice but to proceed. No action is not a choice.”

http://www.wild.org/blog/tigers-in-africa/

*Vance Martin has been President of The WILD Foundation for 26 years, in charge of the program and financial development for this US-based conservation NGO that was established by Dr Ian Player in 1974. He has also served on the board of directors of numerous other organizations including Cheetah Conservation Fund; Wilderness Foundation (Africa and UK); Conservation and Preservation Charities of America; etc. He is founder and Co-Chair of the Wilderness Specialist Group of the World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN), and the International Director for the World Wilderness Congress since 1981.

WESTS TIGERS TO HELP SAVE CHINA’S TIGERS

Wests Tigers has formed a relationship with the Save China's Tigers (SCT) Foundation to help protect one of the world’s most cherished and loved animals from extinction.

With 2010 being the Chinese 'Year of the Tiger', Wests Tigers is proud to support the Foundation following a meeting with SCT founder Li Quan and its Australian representative, Steven Prassas.

The club will work with the SCT Foundation in China to raise awareness of their vital program which sees actor Jackie Chan as an ambassador. The partnership will also open up doors to potential sponsors and new Wests Tigers supporters.

To show their support for the program, Wests Tigers players and coaching staff wore Save China's Tigers t-shirts during a training session at Concord Oval. Interest in the partnership is already strong in China with footage of the local launch to be used there.

Prior to training, model Bec Fordyce was body painted as a tiger by world renowned body artist Tim Gratton for the launch.

Formed in London 10 years ago, the SCT foundation is dedicated to saving the magnificent South China Tiger from extinction. It is estimated there are less than 100 South China Tigers left with most of them living in less than ideal conditions in China’s Zoos. For millions of years, the Chinese tiger roamed the mountains of China.

The Chinese tiger has been a national treasure and an historic cultural symbol of 'protection' for China and its peoples.

In 2003 and 2004 by agreement with the Chinese Government, 4 zoo born tigers were taken to the foundation’s 300 sq km reserve in South Africa to take part in an ambitious breeding and re-wilding program. Re-wilding involves teaching tigers hunting and survival skills so that they are able to survive in the wild.

South Africa was chosen to implement the Foundation’s program because of its leadership in wildlife management, availability of suitable land and abundant game.

In the last 3 years, 8 tigers were born in South Africa with 5 surviving. One of the two cubs born on March 30, 2008 was named Jen- B after the Foundation received a very generous donation of $75,000 from Jennifer Bone, an Australian passionate about big cat conservation. JenB is now a strong, almost fully grown tiger and along with his brother Coco is developing the skills he will need to hunt and survive in the protected wilderness areas of China.

The Foundation's agreement with the Chinese Government is for the re-wilded tigers to be returned to protected reserves in China. Two sites for reserves consisting of hundreds of square kilometers have been selected for this purpose.

According to Chinese astrology, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. It is hoped that these two sites in China will be ready for the tigers towards the end of this year.

"The Foundation is very grateful for the support being given by the Wests Tigers Rugby League Club and its players in assisting the Foundation to raise awareness of the plight of the South China Tiger and the magnificent work that the Foundation is doing to preserve this majestic and iconic animal for future generations," Prassas said.

Dear Friends of Save China's Tigers

Twelve years ago, it was predicted by some organizations that the South China Tigers will go extinct by the next Chinese Year of the Tiger (2010).Coincidently that was about when we decided to take on the challenging task of rescuing the South China Tigers from this dire consequence. With the Chinese Tiger Year arriving, this time starting on Valentine's Day of Feb 14th (what a nice coincidence!), there is much reason for celebration as the South China Tiger is still alive and kicking, despite the declaration of its extinction by some organizations recently. And there is hope for its return as King of Beasts back to China's Wild.

It has been a very challenging ten years for Save China's Tigers, and the most difficult obstacles have not been the unprecedented rewilding of the South China Tigers themselves. Despite all the roadblocks, out of the original five tigers we brought from China to South Africa, we now have five second-generation tigers capable of fending for themselves and the number is still growing. To celebrate the tenth year anniversary of Save China's Tigers, the 2010 Chinese Year of the Tiger as well as the possible restoration of the South China Tigers as Kings of Mountains in China, we have undertaken a number of activities as below:
1. We launched an awareness campaign titled "the Last South China Tiger", created by New Orleans body painting artist Craig Tracy who kindly donated his work to Save China's Tigers. These stunning images and video are spreading around the net and you can see on our websites both the still images and the video.
A short version of the video can also be downloaded from here on our website and sent to your friends by email or mobile phone.
Glycee painting of "the Last South China Tiger" is also on sale in our E-shop.
2. We created a Tiger Tram campaign in HK. Please see press release and the cool images of the prowling Tiger Tram.
3. Our book "South China Tiger Diaries" was published by the People's Literature Press, in the Chinese Language. This beautifully designed book chronicled the lives of 5 South China Tigers and their cubs learning to hunt and fend for themselves at Laohu Valley Reserve in South Africa. It described the challenges and setbacks they faced, their love and romance, births of their cubs and their survival training in fun and humorous language. The book is on sale in major bookstores around China.
More exciting projects are on the way. For example, we are working on a coffee table book which tells the stories of our tigers under rewilding training through memorable photos collected during past seven years of their life in a wild place. So watch this space!

Finally, I would like to use this opportunity to thank all of you for providing support for Save China's Tigers over the past ten years. It's a remarkable feat that a small organization like ours is not only still thriving after all this time and all the difficult challenges, it is also going from strength to strength- having set up our Wildcat Fund and started supporting other wild cat conservation projects internationally. Thanks to all of you!

I wish you all a very good Year of the Tiger and make the best of it, as it wont come for another 12 years after this.

Li Quan