July 29 marks International Tiger Day

29.07.2015 [19:29]
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Baku, July 29, AZERTAC

July 29 marks International Tiger Day, an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation. The Day was set up at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010. Tigers may be one of the most admired animals, but they are also vulnerable to extinction. The world has lost 97% of all wild tigers in a bit over 100 years. Tigers lost 93% of their natural habitat due to the expansion of cities and agriculture by humans.

Fewer tigers can survive in small, scattered islands of habitat, which lead to a higher risk of inbreeding.

One of the world’s largest tiger populations is found in the Sundarbans—a large mangrove forest area shared by India and Bangladesh on the northern coast of the Indian Ocean. This area harbors Bengal tigers and protects coastal regions from storm surges and wind damage. However, rising sea levels that were caused by climate change threaten to wipe out these forests and the last remaining habitat of this tiger population. According to a WWF study, without mitigation efforts, projected sea level rise—nearly a foot by 2070—could destroy nearly the entire Sundarbans tiger habitat.

July 29 marks International Tiger Day

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