Among the most beautiful animals in the world, the tiger, jaguar and snow
leopard provoke images of grace, power and mystery.
Yet each of them are
now fighting against a relentless march of civilization throughout much of
their range. For the Bronx-Zoo based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS),
safeguarding these species and the wild habitat that supports them
represents the very soul of what conservation is all about.
Scientists consider tigers, jaguars and snow leopards "umbrellas species,"
meaning that they sit on top of an often large, complex
ecosystem, and play a critical role in maintaining its balance. By saving
these animals, immense tracts of wilderness and all of the
species contained within are protected as well. (For example, a healthy
population of tigers in the Russian Far East needs around 5,000 square
miles to survive.) Consequently, if a tiger, jaguar or snow leopard
population is lost, we will lose much of the diversity and complexity that
makes these systems worth saving.
WCS began studying these magnificent predators with field work by our
director for science, renowned field biologist Dr. George Schaller. Dr.
Schaller initiated the world's first comprehensive biological studies of
each of these animals. He chronicled the tiger's plight in India in the
1960s, followed by jaguars in Brazil in the 1970s, and studies of snow
leopards in the Himalayas in the mid 1980s. Dr. Schaller's work paved the
way for rigorous conservation measures being carried out by today through
WCS's Global Carnivore Program.
Tigers
WCS works to protect tigers throughout their range, operating field projects
in India, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Thailand and the Russian Far East. Throughout these countries, researchers
census tiger populations and their prey species, while
evaluating available habitat and the effects of poaching.
One of the most popular research techniques is the use of remote cameras
set along suspected tiger areas. The cameras record anything that trips an
infra-red beam tigers, prey species, other predators, even an occasional
poacher. WCS researcher Dr. Ullas Karanth, one of the world's best tiger
researchers perfected this method in India's Nagarahole National Park to
identify individual tigers by their stripe pattern, which vary from
individual to individual. In June, 2000 WCS, along with the World Wildlife
Fund, released the results of a camera-trap survey from Cambodia, which
included the first photographs ever taken of a live tigers in the wild
there. This type of information is then shared with local governments to
strengthen protected areas.
WCS, along with the World Wildlife Fund and Save the Tiger Fund, also
published a framework to identify "high priority" areas, where
conservationists have the best chance to protect existing tiger
populations. This framework is still being used by scientists as a
blueprint from which much of their conservation work is based.
While much of WCS's efforts focuses on hard science to conserve these
animals in the wild, it is complemented by a strong public awareness
component and education campaign, particularly in areas where tiger bone is
used as an ingredient for traditional Chinese medicines. Here in the U.S.
WCS helped pass legislation that closed a loophole where suspected tiger
products were openly sold in Chinese communities. Finally our commitment
to saving tigers includes our participation in captive-breeding programs
and education programs administered at the Bronx Zoo.
Jaguars
For millennia, jaguars the New World's only true big cat specieshave
served as potent cultural icons for many indigenous American people from
the Mayans and Incas, to the Guaran Indians of the Gran Chaco. The Maya
believed the jaguar's skin symbolized the night sky, while the Aztecs fed
the hearts of sacrificial victims to the big cats. Among Amazonian
societies, the jaguar, with its shining, reflective eyes, were thought to
connect to the spirit world.
Last year, WCS kicked off a major campaign to protect the jaguar. Bringing
together the world's best jaguar researchers, WCS created the first map of
the jaguar's massive range (Argentina to the southwestern U.S.) using
geographic information system (GIS) technology. The results were telling;
scientists still understood little about the status of this mysterious
predator. However, they realized a tremendous opportunity existed to protect
an animal before it slips into a crisis situation.
With seed money from Jaguar Cars, WCS has now begun jaguar surveys and
long-term research and monitoring projects in key areas. Noted big cat
expert, WCS researcher Dr. Alan Rabinowitz oversees these efforts, along
with other authorities that form the Jaguar Advisory Group. Dr. Rabinowitz
experience with jaguars is unique, helping form the world's first jaguar
reserve in the Cockscomb Basin in Belize in 1986.
The next steps include working with ranchers to minimize predation on
livestock from jaguars, which often leads to increased poaching of
so-called "problem" cats. WCS will also help establish networks of
forested areas, called "corridors" to prevent jaguar habitat from becoming
further fragmented.
Snow Leopards
Barely seen by humans, snow leopards call home to some of the harshest
landscapes in the world, living along the windswept plateaus of the
Himalayas. Using their thick tails for balance, these elusive big cats
spend much of their time climbing craggy outcrops in pursuit of wild goats
and sheep.
To protect snow leopards from poachers who pursue them for their lustrous
coats, WCS's George Schaller helped establish a 1,400
square-mile national park in the mountains of Pakistan. This led to the
creation of a 6,000 square-mile reserve that straddles the border of
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia and China. Then in 1993, the Chinese
Government created the Chang Tang Reserve, a massive, 118,000 square mile
reserve in Tibet to protect snow leopards and a wealth of other high
altitude species.
Dr. Thomas McCarthy has studied snow leopards in the wilds of Mongolia
since 1991. Following in the footsteps of Dr. George Schaller, Dr.
McCarthy was among the first group of scientists to use satellite collars
to track these elusive animals. His research culminated in a management
plan for snow leopards, which was adopted by the Mongolian government in
1999. Dr. McCarthy has also worked closely with local people of Mongolia to
develop products made from domestic animals as an alternative to poaching
of snow leopards for their pelts.
At the Bronx Zoo, snow leopards were first exhibited in 1903 and have been
successfully bred since 1966. Seventy-eight cubs have been born in the past
33 years. The Bronx Zoo participates in international breeding loans and
has sent snow leopards to numerous zoos in the United States, Canada,
Japan, England, and Australia.
