Return to the Land of Tigers

Greetings from Thailand!

It has been a long time coming, but I am finally back in Asia. If you are reading this then you are likely already aware why I am here and likely were a part of the reason! As someone passionate about tigers and wanting to save them there really isn’t anywhere else you can be. Asia is home to the 3,200 wild tigers that remain and it is, ultimately, here that the species will be conserved or become extinct.

The situation is dire; the population has fallen to just 3% of what it was a century ago and now occupy 7% of their historic range. In the past decade alone, tigers lost 40% of their habitat. Three subspecies of tiger – Bali, Caspian and Javan – have already become extinct with a fourth, the South China tiger, likely extinct in the wild. The subspecies that remain – the Bengal, Indo-chinese, Malayan, Sumatran and Amur tigers – survive primarily in small, isolated pockets of habitat and face serious threats. Tigers everywhere are being killed for their body parts for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine, often destined for China. Prey species that tigers rely on to survive, including wild deer, bovids and pigs, are being poached as well. Moreover, even protected areas often are not safe from habitat destruction, fueled by agriculture, logging, and the needs of a skyrocketing Asian population that has tripled in the last 50 years.

However, there is still hope. There are a number of protected areas that, if truly protected, can sew the seeds of recovery by fostering breeding tigers and connecting them to other habitats at a landscape level. Moreover, through bolstering law enforcement capacity, we can not only bring wildlife traders to justice, but also prevent crimes from occurring at the field level. There are many organizations fighting for the tiger with dedicated staff. Thanks to your support, I now count myself among them.

In early January, I made the trip from Toronto, Canada to Bangkok, Thailand to conduct an internship with FREELAND Foundation, which fights for a world free of human and wildlife trafficking. This organization supports on-the-ground work to protect species like tigers and elephants and they were generous enough to offer me an internship to assist them in their efforts. I was fortunate to receive financial support from a number of fantastic individuals and because of your generosity, I want to share my adventures here in Thailand with you through an engaging blog. This is a more enriched, frequently updated alternative to a monthly eNewsletter I had proposed.

I hope you enjoy this blog which will document the internship via articles, conservation features, photos and videos. I strongly believe in being accountable for the support I have received and, as a result, I want to clearly communicate how I am using funds raised and maintain open lines of communication for feedback. I couldn’t have accepted this internship without you and for that I am thankful.

Let’s help save the tiger and other species together.

-Eric “Kuba” Ash