Tigers Extinct by 2022

Wildlife experts have estimated that wild tigers will be extinct by 2022.  On Sunday November 21, 2010 a "Tiger Summit" meeting was held to discuss new ways and develop a plan to stop the tiger from becoming extinct in 12 years.  Thirteen countries got together at this meeting, all which still  have some tiger population.  The thirteen countries are Bangladesh, Russia, Thailand, Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Malaysia.

100 years ago there was roughly 100,000 tigers in the world.  Now the population stands at about 3,200 tigers due to construction, poaching, and forest cutting.  The officials of the 13 countries came up with the Global Tiger Recovery Program in an effort to try and double tiger populations by 2022.  This plan will protect tiger habitats,  create a plan that will make locals want to help tigers, and stop the black market which is the incentive for poaching.

The Wolf Off The Endangered List?

The gray wolf is the largest wild member of the Canidae family.  The gray wolf used to populate a vast amount of Europe, Asia, and North America.  The wolf population decreased dramatically due to habitat destruction, human involvement, and many human-wolf encounters that led to local extinction of the wolf.  The wolf is now only protected in certain areas of the U.S.

In 2009 The gray wolf was removed from the ESA
( Endangered Species Act) in the Rockies, mainly Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.  This upset certain conservation organizations(which are suing the federal government) because they know the wolf is not yet populated enough to be removed from the list.  In order to be removed from the ESA conservation groups argue that there has to be 2,000 - 2,500 wolves in the Rockies area.  Currently there are only 1,600 wolves accounted for in the Rockies area.  If the wolf is removed now, conservation groups fear that their numbers are still to low and that the wolves will be over hunted leading to another huge decrease in the population.    



http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0507-hance_wolfoped.html