Lions, and ?, and Bears, Oh My!

"Right now, there are more tigers in captivity than there are left in the wild."
                                         -National Geographic

My fellow bionerds,
 
     For some reason my titles keep pertaining to popular movies, but I promise that it once again holds relevance to what I will be talking about.
     Awhile back I received a letter in the mail from the National Wildlife Federation, and in this letter was a story that really stuck with me. I will do my best to re-tell this story.
      Imagine yourself in the future sitting down with your grandchildren on a porch talking about nature. Somehow you get on the topic of wild animals, and you happen to mention polar bears; however, polar bears became extinct before your grandchildren were born. "Grandma (or Grandpa), what's a polar bear?," your grandchildren ask. You then have to explain to them how this incredible creature no longer exists because of humans.
     I had never thought about endangered species this way until I read that story. I mean, in no way do I want to see magnificent animals disappear forever, but imagine having to explain an animal to someone that who has never heard of it because it went extinct.
     Perhaps the title of this blog makes a little more sense now? No? Okay, allow me to explain. I took a new twist on the story I just told and used the Wizard of Oz to get my point across. We all know the famous line, "Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, oh my!" But what if tigers, which are currently critically endangered, became extinct? Would this line have any relevance to those who grew up without tigers existing? 
     Raising awareness about the rapid decline in wild tigers has been "my project," if you will, for roughly the past two years. I was scanning through a National Geographic web link one day, when I discovered that only about 2,500 tigers remain in the wild. Hold up. Only 2,500 tigers left in the wild? This shocked me. I knew it was time to act. I went about telling people what I knew about tigers and informing them of their endangered status. Let's just say I became known as "the girl who wants to save the tigers." I have made a point to keep that title going into college. Most days I can be seen wearing my "Cause an Uproar for Big Cats" bracelet, and if the situation presents itself, I willingly share information about the tigers. It's all about awareness, remember?
     So you may be wondering why the tiger populations are declining. After all, they practically reside at the top of the food chain. Well, one species reigns above the tiger on the food chain: humans. Yes. We are the reason tigers are endangered; poaching, deforestation, and human population are literally driving the tigers out of existence. I can't sugar coat that message. But if we can lower the number of tigers in the wild, then surely we can bring those numbers back up again.
     Fortunately, several organizations (some of which I have already mentioned) and zoos are already working on increasing the tiger populations. Take for example, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. This Zoo has countless conservation programs going, including a tiger initiative that strives to maintain genetic diversity of the species, fund programs that protect wild tigers, and introduce tigers back into the wild. Of course, the World Wildlife Fund also plays a huge role in protecting wild tigers. They actually recently succeeded in convincing several stores to stop selling a type of toilet paper that was made from trees in rainforests where tigers live. It's comforting to know that people who have the ability to directly protect tigers and increase their population numbers are taking the steps to do so. 
     I hope by now you are wondering, "How can I help??" Well, as I mentioned before, awareness is key. Use some of the links I have provided above to brush up on your knowledge of tigers, then spread the word. Trust me, people will listen- they may laugh at you, but that's ok, because the facts will stick with them whether they initially care or not. Another thing you can do is donate. The World Wildlife Fund actually enables you to symbolically adopt just about any animal you can imagine (you even get a stuffed animal out of it!). A visit to the zoo also provides you with the opportunity to show your support for all wild animals. If you are interested in the bracelet that I have, check out the Cause an Uproar link above- they have several cool products you can buy that directly help our beloved tigers (and other big cats to boot!). All of the sources I have mentioned are extremely reliable, and the bulk of their proceeds go directly towards the cause. 
     So there you have it! Everything you need to know to get started on protecting the tigers. Don't be afraid to speak out for these powerful and amazing creatures; after all, they don't have a voice of their own to speak out with. Together we can ensure that the famous Wizard of Oz line never has to be altered, that our children and grandchildren will be able to see and know what a tiger is, and that we never have to say goodbye to one remaining tiger. Go cause an uproar!

         Peace. Love. Save the Tigers.  
      
 
 

The Wilderness Must Be Explored!

Hello friends!
      I really hope that you caught the reference to the movie UP in the title of this blog...If not, that's okay. Take the message for what it is.

      Every single day (whether in a city or the very middle of nowhere), we are surrounded by nature in some way, shape, or form. Think about it; we rely on the environment for food, air, scenery, inspiration, and a vast amount of resources. There is not a single thing we own that does not share some link with nature itself. Aside from water, nothing just falls from the sky, contrary to popular belief. So, as cliche as it sounds, we could not live without all that our earth gives us. I would hope that many agree with me when I say that we as humans fail to fully appreciate the gifts that nature provides.
       The first step toward appreciating the world that surrounds us is acknowledging how we are harming it. All we do is take, take, take. Do we ever give back? At the very least, are we minimizing our impact? What is being harmed as a result of our actions? The questions are unending. Thus, my goal is to break down these questions and focus on individual aspects of the environment as well as the organisms that inhabit it.
       As I look around my room and notice the numerous animal posters and pictures I have covering every wall, I suppose it is important to note that I am extremely passionate about not only protecting animal species but also conserving the environment in which they reside. Confession time: I'm a bionerd. As time goes by, I hope you will grow to understand what exactly that means. But more importantly, I want to be able to prove why we should bother protecting what we may not even know about. The title of my blog might make it sound as though I want to save just the tigers and just the trees- okay, and the earth too. But the tiger represents all endangered species that are currently being threatened by habitat loss, poaching, invasive species, and the like. The trees serve as a symbol for all plants as well as ecosystems (specific environments that include both living and nonliving factors) that are being harmed and destroyed by humans. The Earth represents totality - we are responsible for everything it contains.
       Thomas Jefferson once said, "For if one link in nature's chain might be lost, another might be lost, until the whole of things will vanish piecemeal." What an incredibly accurate quote. You see, the very world we live on is more fragile than we can even imagine. As Thomas Jefferson described it, each ecosystem is a long chain linked to other ecosystems until they are all connected across the globe. Now picture a single link as some sort of animal (take your pick). If that animal becomes extinct, what does that entail for the rest of the chain that connects everything? It's a scary thought.
       Awareness. That's what it's all about. The more we know about a particular species, be it plant or animal, that is being severely harmed by human actions, the more we can do to protect that species.
       Rachel Carson serves as an excellent example of someone who supported the protection of wildlife. She has always been a role model of mine, because she sought to raise awareness about the pesticide DDT that was killing off bird species. Most probably thought she was just another "tree-hugger" (Disclaimer: people who really care about nature don't actually hug trees, but I digress) and criticized her hypothesis that DDT was responsible for harming birds. Despite these criticisms, Carson went ahead and published her famous book, Silent Spring. Thanks to this book and Carson's efforts overall, she managed to convince John F. Kennedy to ban DDT in the United States.
       On a more recent note, I feel as though organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and National Geographic are making incredible strides in defending wildlife and the environment. They do not simply talk about how organisms are being harmed; rather, they get out of the office, explore, and act to try and solve the problem. That's awesome.
       On a final note, I just encourage you to recognize your ability to make a difference. We aren't all environmental engineers or expert biologists, but by using our voices and informing people about the "footprint" we are leaving behind on the earth, more will know and (hopefully) more will care about the very ground we stand upon.
        Russell from UP was 100% correct in saying that "the wilderness must be explored." Let's make sure that there is always wilderness to explore.

                        Peace. Love. Save the Tigers.