For all of you that know me (even though none of you are actually reading this right now), you know that I LOVE animals- often more than humans. Besides the fact that they are adorable, it tugs at my heart strings to know that they are essentially defenseless against human cruelty, aggression, expansion, and and even inadvertent ignorance.
This past weekend, in the Week in Review section of the New York Times (March 7), I came across this article:
Fretting About the Last of the World’s Biggest Cats
For those who don’t have time to read it, although I encourage you to, as I’ll never be able to capture the essence of the article here, wild tigers are severely endangered. There are less than 3,000 left globally- in fact, there are more tigers in captivity in the state of Texas than there are wild globally. Tigers are captured to be used as exhibits, entertainment, pets, and livestock, or killed throughout Asia so that various body parts can be used for “medicinal and protective” purposes.
While I respect cultural tradition immensely, these majestic animals run the risk of extension as these practices continue. Imagine how difficult it is for them to escape the hunting or capturing power of men, when they can only live in small groups now due to the dwindling numbers.
As the article notes that some countries are doing, let’s TRULY make this the year of the tiger, by calling attention to this tragedy and urging political leaders throughout the world to crackdown on those who capture or kill tigers. Perhaps by the next year of the tiger, we can have added to the 3,000 tigers left.
I’m not sure why I didn’t think to tell you this in person four seconds ago, but in light of this post, you must listen to this podcast:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/401/parent-trap
Warning: it’s really good, but not exactly a mood lifter. The second act is a really compelling story about the relationship between humans and animals.