There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
(09-26-2015, 02:13 PM)sanjay Wrote: I got this video of Dr. Dale Miquelle, Giving wonderful speech about Amur tiger and leopard population
The two words that came to mind first when I heard this speech were time and concern. Time because Miquelle seemed pressed for time. He raced through the speech and the bottom line was now or never. Concern because he knows most core habitats and most tigers can't be monitored and protected.
I think he did very well. No fancy stuff and a strategy directed at impressing the audience, but a short, to the point summary of the past and the present and moving on. He knows how to do it (save tigers), but he is pressed for time. All the time.
Miquelle, as dedicated and involved as they come, reminds me of Rabinowitz. Best possible compliment, I think. Dedication at work.
I was a bit surprised to learn Russia has so few wildlife vets. This apparently is the main reason it took so long to learn Amur tigers were affected by canine distemper. I was not surprised to learn that today's biologists, and those heasding projects in particular, need to have skills typical for managers working for a doomed firm. They know how to change the situation, but their only chance is starting right at the bottom. And this will take time, a bonus for those who actually protect tigers and cooperation. A lot of cooperation. With hunters, locals and politicians. Putin has taken an interest in tigers and this too will make a difference.
The speech, I think, could have been delivered somewhere in 2012-2013. It is a fact tigers slightly recovered in the two years that have elapsed. Russia now has not 400, but about 500 Amur tigers. And we read less and less about poached animals.
Would a man pressed for time and witnessing scenes that would make a stone weep be interested in curves or straight lines? Of course he wouldn't. He's running from one calamity to another and he knows he will have to do so for many years to come. It's crucial. For tigers and for us. I mean, if we can't save to most popular animal in the world, we can't be expected to save ourselves, can we? And it no doubt will come to that when we continue like we do today.
As to them curves. We too are very interested in tigers, Mr. Miquelle. This forum is a small attempt to contribute in some way. I never thought we would reach a million views in a year only, but we did. This means there is an interest in wild animals in general and big cats in particular. When we started, my friends laughed. Now they contribute. Over here, in the UK, in Germany, in the US, in India, in Indonesia and in Australia and New Zealand.
Some of us are more directly involved in tigers than others. They assist vets and measure and weigh captive tigers every now and then. They also measure skulls in museums and they talk to trainers whenever possible. They collect reliable data and they noticed captive Amur tigers are longer, taller and heavier than their wild relatives. To what degree? We don't know. That's why we talk about data and that's why we want to know to what degree the problems wild Amur tigers face affect their size. In order to be able to compare captive and wild animals, we need to be sure all tigers are measured in the same way. If not, we want to know all about the method used to measure wild tigers. This means some of us will contact you and ask questions you could perceive as typical for fanatics. Not quite. Data about captive and wild tigers are important, as they quantify the effect of captivity on one hand and a shortage of prey animals on the other. Could be important at some stage, as biologists and politicians now have started talking about rewilding captive tigers. It could come to that. We hope you understand and we also hope you will cooperate when you have time. But we now know time is of the utmost importance.
The work you and your collegues do is very important and much appreciated by many. Better be sure of that. We hope you will continue and wish you good luck and time. Lots of it. On behalf of all of us,
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