About International Tiger Day
International Tiger Day has been held on July 29th every year since 2010 when it was first created at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit. This was done to raise awareness of the decline of wild tiger numbers, leaving them on the brink of extinction, and to encourage the celebration around the important work of Tiger conservation.
What can you do to help save wild tigers?
- Reduce or eliminate your consumption of palm oil – tiger habitat is being destroyed to develop cheap and productive palm oil plantations. Every hour, 300 football fields-worth of land is cleared for these farms, leaving tiger habitats destroyed and/or fragmented. Palm oil is found in approximately 50% of household products, including food and beauty items, so read ingredient labels before you purchase those cookies or night cream! Reducing demand is the best way to have an effect on the devastation to tigers caused by habitat loss!
- Coffee connoisseurs! Look for sustainably sourced coffee – coffee production in Sumatra, Indonesia can often be unsustainable and contribute to the loss of Sumatran tiger habitat. Look for Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee to drink for your morning wake-up call, and help support sustainable coffee farmers everywhere!
- Look for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified or 100-percent recycled tissue products – valuable rainforests that serve as tiger habitat are being cut down to cheaply produce toilet paper and other paper products that wind up on American shelves.
- Stay away from the exotic animal trade – never contribute to the buying or selling of illegal wildlife goods. Tiger parts are traded all over the world, so don’t get sucked into buying something that may have come from a tiger or other exotic/endangered species.
- Talk to your friends and family! Bringing awareness to the issues wild tigers face and understanding how you can help can have a lasting impact on wild tiger populations.
You can make a difference!
