Roarrrr your head off for tigers

"Earlier this week we were asked to toot our horns for rhinos. Today we are encouraged to roar for tigers. Tomorrow, will we be tweeting for birds?

"To save the world's remaining wild tigers, WWF is not asking people to stand-up and be heard--but asking them for a roar of support," the conservation organization said in a news release today.

                                                                                   NGS stock photo by Michael Nichols

"With tigers in the wild numbering fewer than 3,200, WWF has launched a first-time campaign where web users can literally roar their support for tigers," said the charity, which is based in Switzerland but is deeply engaged with conservation in tiger range countries.

A few days ago WWF South Africa said September would be a month of support for rhinos, which are currently being poached in the country for their horns at the rate of about 20 per month. September 22 is to be Make a Noise for Rhino Day, when supporters of the pachyderm everywhere are asked to blow their vuvuzelas or other musical instruments--or toot their car horns--to express opposition to rhino poaching. It's a kind of blowing a global raspberry against the poachers. (Blow your horn for rhinos.)

The Tiger Roar Campaign, www.panda.org/roar, is an online application where the public can add their own roars in many different ways, whether solo or in a group of friends, family, or with their colleagues, WWF said.

NGS stock photo by Michael Nichols. If you want tigers to remain in the wild, WWF wants you to roar your support for ther big cvats.

"Users can upload pictures of themselves getting all "roary," shoot video of their roars, and upload them to YouTube or Vimeo, and then link them in. For a simpler approach, users can even text message their roars.

"Once uploaded, participants can then search through other entries and vote for their favorite roars, including casting their votes for the funniest or most frightening roars from around the world.

"Everyone who submits a roar will be counted in a special WWF petition to be presented to heads of government, including prime ministers, from the 13 tiger range countries that are attending the Tiger Summit, scheduled for November in St. Petersburg, Russia," WWF said.

"This is a crucial meeting that will determine the fate of wild tigers, and we need everyone's help to get world leaders to the meeting," said Michael Baltzer, head of WWF's tiger programme.

"To encourage these powerful people to make the right decisions, and keep to their stated goal of transforming tiger conservation and doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022, we need you to stand up and roar--any which way you can."

The Tiger Roar Campaign is part of WWF's Year of the Tiger campaign, which runs through February 2011.

WWF launched the TX2 campaign early this year, which seeks to double the number of wild tigers by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022.

A first-time tiger conservation declaration from the 13 countries that still have wild tiger populations was prepared in Bali, Indonesia in July this year, and is due to be signed before the close of Year of the Tiger at the Tiger Summit, WWF added.

"The Declaration seeks to create a tiger recovery program that is global in scope while also promoting transboundary cooperation amongst the 13 tiger range countries."

"WWF also will display some of the best roars at the Summit to create awareness of the plight of wild tigers among world leaders and their delegations.

Source: "Posted by David Braun from media materials submitted by WWF." : http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/09/roarrrr-your-head-off-for-tige.html?source=link_tw09032010c : September 2, 2010


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