Where Do We Go From
Here?
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This
is the most important information you may
ever read about saving the tiger. If you read no other information
on this site please take the time to complete this. PC users can right
click on the link above to download a .pdf version for later review. I
recommend this option if you have limited time.
 My
name is Jason
Savage. I am the founder and director of The Zoe Foundation, Inc.
I had the privilege of working with the renowned zoologist and tiger expert
Dr.
Michael A. Bleyman before his untimely death in July 1996. I learned
a great deal about tigers and their plunge toward extinction from Michael.
He was also confident the species could be saved, but not through traditional
methods.
To help you better understand this controversy I have written a paper
entitled Generic vs. Pure. You can download a .pdf version of this paper
on our Research page. This
paper is lengthy but vitally important. It will help you make a
more educated decision about the tiger effort in general. You can read
that paper later. Right now I would like to go over some more pressing
matters concerning funding and my effort to save the tiger.
Along
with many other successful endeavors I have been doing product development
and research for many years. I launched this site when the Internet was
just beginning to gain attention, so I have had the opportunity to experiment
with numerous donation structures, product sales, and the like. Individual
participation and interest has verified conclusions made by prominent
research institutions. I will attempt to encapsulate many articles I've
read so you can get an idea of how I made my decision to fund our project
to save the tiger.
The
most important item of information you must understand is
that the tiger is critically endangered and will not survive in the wild
due to habitat loss and poaching. Neither will it survive in captivity
for an extended period because there is no facility designed
to date that will meet the needs required to save this species - period! Following is a sampling of headlines I've selected
from many that attempt to drive these points home every day.
Posted
on Exxon's Save The Tiger Website
"A
one-day survey conducted in 1995 at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural
History showed that the Museum's visitors' knowledge about the Tiger was
limited to its physical appearance
and dietary habits. Visitors surveyed "demonstrated much concern and respect
for animals but little more than a very basic knowledge of animal conservation."
Visitors surveyed did not associate Asia with animal conservation or Tigers
and did not make a direct connection between their own lives and animal
conservation."
Tigers
are losing ground in the wild every day. The small isolated areas where
they reside (called islands) fosters inbreeding because the tigers cannot
travel to other tiger locations. Consequently the gene pool diminishes
and the smaller populations will inbreed themselves to extinction. In
addition these islands are gradually diminishing in size due to human
encroachment.
The
link between conservation of these animals and a healthy ecosystem
was
extensively written about by Dr. Bleyman. The tiger is a Keystone
species. From Dr. Bleyman: "Keystone takes its meaning from the building
of an arch. There is a stone at the top center upon which the arch depends.
If the keystone is pulled out, the whole arch collapses. Keystone is used
for components of the ecosystem without which the whole system collapses."
The survival of the tiger is vitally important when it comes to maintaining
the ecosystems in which they live. Of course these systems are being
systematically destroyed every day - logging, dam building, clear cutting
rain forests to create farm land, which does not work due to the top
soil
depth, and so on.
Exxon's
Save The Tiger Site - August 20, 2002
"While
the exact number of tigers being poached is unknown, some sources have
estimated that one tiger a day
is being killed in India."
Exxon's
Save The Tiger Site - November 7, 2002
Shrinking
habitat, poachers threaten Sumatran tigers. Reuters News Service, November
7, 2002
Vancouver
Sun, November 2, 2002
Symbol of Asian pride extinct, biologist reports,
Vancouver Sun, November 2, 2002
China
has managed to kill off one of the most enduring symbols of Asian pride,
driving its long-endangered population of wild south China tigers to extinction,
says a new report. The report was written by Ron Tilson, a US biologist
and chairman of The Tiger Foundation, a Vancouver-based conservation group....
Friday,
November 1, 2002 - The News &
Observer - Raleigh, NC
Headline:
Nearly half of plant species may be threatened. Study blames human
activity.
Sunday,
August 25, 2002 - The
News & Observer - Raleigh, NC
Headline:
Earth Form Goals Slim. Expectations are low for a 10-year follow-up
summit on improving the well-being of Earth and its 6 billion people.
Wednesday,
August 14, 2002, ST. LOUIS (AP)
"The
Fish and Wildlife Service has alleged that a group of people in the Midwest
bought and killed tigers, leopards, snow leopards, lions, mountain lions,
cougars and black bears to produce meat and skins for the animal-parts
trade."
(This
is one of the best in depth reports I've read on the subject. These reporters
did an excellent job. Due to copyright restrictions I posted only the
first few paragraphs in hopes you will retrieve this article and read
it in its entirety. It puts much of what I have written into perspective.
I have a link to the Chicago Tribune above. You may want to send a message
to Jon Yates or Maurice
Possley and inquire about a copy of this fine article. It is well
worth your effort.)
"Trophy
slaughter
--------------------
Tigers
are bought, sold and killed on the lucrative private market so eager collectors
can show off the rare hides
By
Jon Yates and Maurice Possley
Tribune staff reporters
November
24, 2002
Darkness
had settled by the time Todd "Squirrel" Lantz wheeled the truck
and goose-necked trailer through the gravel parking lot and into the warehouse
in southwest suburban Alsip. Through the slats on the sides, Bill Kapp
and Kevin Ramsey got their first look at a most unusual cargo: tigers.
Some were lying down. Others peered out, as Kapp and Ramsey advanced on
the trailer carrying handguns. Then the shooting began.
The
first tigers went down quietly. But as the bodies began to drop inside
the cramped trailer, the remaining animals realized what lay ahead. With
the echo of gunfire came roars. Massive paws swiped in vain at the gun
barrels as the bullets found their marks.
By
the time the shooting stopped, eight tigers lay dead.
While
the March 25, 1998, massacre--which Ramsey and Lantz described to authorities--was
the largest documented slaughter of endangered tigers in the US, it was
not an isolated instance of cruelty to rare animals. According to federal
authorities, this was one of many such killings in the exotic animal trade,
a multibillion-dollar worldwide industry in which a wide assortment of
creatures are bought, sold, traded and sometimes slaughtered.
Operating
out of roadside zoos and makeshift animal farms, illicit dealers feed
a lucrative market for hides and stuffed animals."
April
13, 1999 SHANGHAI, China (AP)
"A
new survey has found as few as 15 Siberian tigers are left in the wild
in China, state newspapers said Tuesday. The number was dramatically lower
than earlier estimates that as many as 100 of the endangered cats lived
in the wild."
October
17, 2000 HYDERABAD, India (AP)
"Authorities
say intruders entered the zoo at night two weeks ago and killed and skinned
a 13-month-old female tiger after drugging the animal. They believe the
unidentified intruders were poachers."
Excerpt
from one of the world's foremost Indian tiger experts - Billy Arjan Singh
"THE LAST HURRAH:
As
the time approaches for final extinction, for me as an individual, and
for the tiger as a race, I feel that I should share my thoughts with my
countrymen, many of whom do care, for the demoralizing extinction of processes
of evolution of animate creations, by the rapacity of the human race.
We
have ravaged habitat of underground dwellers by the plunder of fossil
fuels built up over the millennia and by strip mining. We have razed great
timber stands, and unleashed floods and siltation for short-term political
motives. We continue to rob the oceans of their sustainable wealth in
international bickerings. We have upset the rhythm of life by the unrestrained
proliferation of the human race and savage experimentation with other
life forms, to preserve our own species. We continue to grab the habitats
of vulnerable entities. We have transformed the tolerance of religions,
into religious bigotry to serve political ends. The civilizing processes
over the ages has projected itself in the spurious claim of the use of
wildlife derivatives for medicinal functions.
The
final extinction of the tiger, in all its eight subspecies, has been widely
and sympathetically written about internationally, but sympathy alone
cannot stem the rot. Basic measures are required to halt the lure of enormous
profits of the skin and bone trade. This effort must be an international
one--to obliterate the final destination of these derivatives, and a Indo-Nepal
one to abolish the incentives of the internal trade."
June 2, 2003 A
headline in the June 2, 2003 Environment
News Service reads, “Conservationists Worry About Inaccurate
Tiger Data.” The first paragraph continues:
“NEW
YORK, New York, June 2, 2003 (ENS) - The New York based Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS) says a new study casts doubt on the method used by India's
government to count tigers for the past three decades. The study finds
that counting tiger "pugmarks" - or track prints - is still
being used by the Indian government, even though the technique is scientifically
flawed.”
Dr.
Ullas Karanth, a scientist who has been studying tigers for the past
twenty years and the lead author of a paper says that counting pug
marks is inaccurate and thus makes it impossible for the Indian government
to predict tiger populations.
Wow!
What a revelation! Give me a break. I wrote about tiger
population estimates being exaggerated by 100% - 200% five years
ago. See Tiger
Loss. Richard Ives mentioned this in his book Of Tigers & Men first
published in 1946. The inaccuracy of using pug marks to identify
tigers has been known for many years. Dr. Bleyman often spoke about
the futility of using that method a decade ago. In fact, look at
this.
The
following is quoted from a Tiger Trust article by Michael Day, founder
of Tiger Trust in the UK.
"Scientist
and tiger expert Dr. K Ullas Karanth conducted an investigation into
the reliability of the pugmark (tiger foot prints) technique and published
his findings in a scientific paper in 1989. Dr. Karanth asked six wildlife
managers, each having between 4 and 12 years of census taking experience
behind then, to take part in a blind experiment which involved analyzing
33 tracings taken from an unspecified number of captive tigers. The
results of the experiment showed that in fact none of the experts could
identify even one tiger correctly and, quite remarkably, they estimated
the total number of tigers involved in the experiment as being between
26 and 6. There were only four tigers used in the experiment."
The
study was done in 1989!
It’s being written about now as some kind of revelation. I believe
it’s being used as more of an excuse for the remaining Indian
tiger population. Why? Because the successful programs they’ve
been reporting have not been successful. Stop the studying and concentrate
solely on protection. If that’s not done the tiger’s in
the wild will not survive!
Dr.
Michael Bleyman:
 "The
present financial reality is a situation in which zoos all over the world
(from the prestigious London Zoo to several municipal zoos in the United
States) are going broke and closing down. The resources, including money,
cage space, and personnel available for managing captive breeding programs
are rapidly decreasing. The IUCN needs to face reality: We no longer have
the luxury of maintaining separate captive-bred populations of 30 subspecies
of cougar or 15 subspecies of ocelot. If we wish our grandchildren to
be able to see any living cougars or ocelots then we must genetically
manage all of the existing specimens in captivity so as to preserve as
much species-specific genetic variability as is possible."
(Dr.
Michael Bleyman passed away due to cancer in 1996. He was 58 years old.)
Poaching
is beginning to happen within zoo walls. The illicit trade in animal parts
is second only to the drug trade - in the billions of dollars. The AZA
and their stud book specialists persist in their quest for sub-species
purity in the face of species' extinction. Zoos are not equipped, nor
is it their mission, to preserve these large felids. They are showcases
for people to view these animals. If one tiger a day is being poached
in India how long do you think the species will survive in the wild? Reports
vary widely as to the number of tigers remaining in the wild. The high
end is 8,000, but few believe that many exist now. Lately some reports
have dropped to 4,500. Some ex-hunters and wardens in the range states
think there may be far fewer than reported by field scientists and conservation
organizations.
Raleigh
News & Observer (May 27, 2001) "The nation's 20 largest groups
- a tiny slice of the more than 8,000 environmental organizations - took
in 29 percent of contributions in 1999, according to IRS Form 990 tax
records."
The
large, high profile groups receive the bulk of the funds. That's not unexpected
since they spend huge sums on advertising and direct marketing campaigns.
People spend little time researching better opportunities for their donations.
The large organizations must be doing the right things since they are
so successful.
Raleigh
News & Observer - May 27, 2001 "…chief
executives at nine if the nations 10 largest environmental groups earned
$200,000 or more, and one topped $300,000."
"Those
who know the environment best - the scientists who devote their careers
to it - say environmental groups are just as likely as their corporate
adversaries to twist fact into fantasy to serve their agendas."
Raleigh
News & Observer - May 28, 2001 Fiction:
"From Defenders of Wildlife: "Won't you please adopt a furry little pup
like 'Hope'? Hope is a cuddly brown wolf. …Hope was triumphantly born
in Yellowstone." Fact: "There was
never any pup named Hope," says John Varley, chief of research at Yellowstone
National Park. "We don't name wolves. We number them."
"Environmental
groups spend so much on fund raising and overhead that they often don't
have enough left to meet the minimum benchmark for environmental spending
- 60 percent of annual expenses - recommended by charity watchdog organizations."
"At its simplest, joint cost accounting allows nonprofit groups to splinter
fundraising expenditures into categories that sound more pleasing to a
donor's ear - public education and environmental action - shaving millions
off what they report as fund raising."
These
large organizations have become fund raising machines. I'm not saying
the remaining money is not spent on deserving programs. But individual
donations would go much farther if they could be placed directly in the
hands of the program managers. Small organizations cannot compete with
these giants. They remain mostly unknown and thus out of the loop, relying
on a few benefactors to keep them operational.
I
just wanted to touch on this problem because it affects all smaller organizations.
It also prompted me to make changes in my donation
options as well as the methodology to raise funds for Paleocene
Park. I have outlined for you how proceeds from product sales and
donations will be used on the Use
Of Funds page.
I will not let this project fall into the trap that plagues many
zoos, preserves, and rescue organizations. That trap being the accumulation
of animals before sufficient operating capital along with a sound funding
approach assuring a reasonable cash flow are in place. I've seen too many
organizations disappear due to funding shortfalls fostered by good intentions
but bad planning. In these cases the animals are the big losers. If tigers
have one chance remaining, it better not fail!
I
may be the only man alive
with a comprehensive plan to save the tiger
that can succeed!
You
may think that is an awfully bold statement, but when you look at the
sum of the parts I think you might agree.
What
about Exxon/Mobil?
Tuesday,
December 17, 2002 - The News &
Observer - Raleigh, NC
"Exxon/Mobil
has spent more than $250 million on the series
(Masterpiece Theater) since it premiered Jan. 10, 1971."
Since
launching the Save The Tiger Fund in 1995 with the National Fish &
Wildlife Foundation Exxon/Mobil has probably been the largest single contributor
to the effort to save the tiger in the wild. But let's put this into perspective
and see if we can determine how serious they are about saving the species.
From
their Save The Tiger site: "Since its launch (1995), the Save The
Tiger Fund has supported 158 projects with more than $9.1 million. The
general public has contributed over $1.4 million of this funding."
So
Exxon has donated $7.7 million to the fund over the past eight years.
That from a company whose Net income in 2001 was $15,320,000,000 - a one
year Net growth of 13.5%. That donation is equivalent to an individual
making $35,000 a year donating $17.57 to the tiger fund over eight years
- or $2.20 a year. Is a company making billions that serious about
saving the species? Do you think supporting 158 different projects with
limited funding is going to save the tiger in the wild? No way is that
going to happen.
What
about the public relations effort? Is that working? Exxon states the general
public has donated $1.4 million over the eight years to this fund. Somehow
I don't think the people are getting the message. The 2000 Census listed
115,681,202 employed persons in the US. That $1.4 million breaks down
to 1.5¢ a person per year since 1995 - hardly a glowing reference
for a successful campaign. Either people just don't care about saving
the tiger or their not informed. I choose to believe the latter.
Please don't get
me wrong. I welcome Exxon/Mobil's participation. They are a major player
in the attempt to save the tiger in the wild, and they keep a lot of scientists
working. But their efforts are failing. The South China tiger has just
been declared extinct in the wild by Ron Tilson (November 2, 2002). If
the tiger is going to be saved it's a good bet the NFWF isn't going to
be successful. In a recent article - November 21, 2002 - Environmental
News Service (ENS) - it says, "Wild tigers still face serious threats
from habitat loss and poaching, but international efforts to protect the
endangered species from extinction in the wild are succeeding, according
to a new report from the Save the Tiger Fund." The article goes on
to quote old guard scientists who have been at it decades who believe
things are going quite well. What else are they going to say? None of
them are going to confess that the effort has generally been a failure
even though independent reports and surveys support this conclusion. Their
funds would dry up. The spin is in!
What
about the AZA?
They
keep stud books on tigers. The AZA would like to see all but pure subspecies
tigers eliminated. That's a great plan. Their fixation
on preserving only pure subspecies (these being predominantly dictated
by geographical location
and not DNA) is ridiculous. It's a marketing company
run amuck. I've often said if you take a group of children, or adults
for
that matter,
and place one
each of the pure subspecies and a generic tiger in front of them all
they would see are tigers. Spending time trying to come up with a method
to
keep each subspecies pure while the tiger continues toward extinction
is baffling. Do you understand it? If not you're in the vast majority.
The AZA isn't going to save the tiger.
What
about Zoos?
Zoos,
for the most part, are not in business to save species. They display
healthy animals for the public to enjoy. Many zoos do have breeding
programs. Some are really quite good. But for the most part they follow
the AZA's edicts. In addition, zoos are not prepared to deal with catastrophic
events like a world monetary
collapse. How
would they feed their animals? Are they prepared for poachers who eventually
may try and take tigers for their bones and other body parts? Not
hardly.
Some zoos are very nice, but they're not going to save the tiger either.
What
about private breeders, independent owners and small preserves?
Many
private breeders are especially heinous. They have no knowledge or regard
for scientific breeding principles and little real care for the animals.
They are in the business to make money. Similarly some small facilities
breed so they can keep a new crop of young animals around. Visitors love
to see and hold the babies. Few have the means or knowledge necessary
to breed scientifically nor do they need to breed these animals at all.
Some small preserves, that term (preserve) is being used loosely, are
terrible. They are started because people see an opportunity to make money
showing animals. Others are decent and a few are quite good. But most
are strapped for cash. These facilities come and go for a variety of reasons.
Ultimately the animals pay the price. As far as saving a major species,
I don't think so.
How
Can We Save The Tiger?
If
we are truly going to save the tiger a number of crucial elements must
be put in place.
The
Facility
 It
is my belief that we should raise the funds, including enough for an operational
endowment, before taking any other step forward. Borrowed money could
spell disaster for the animals. On Saturday, November 9, 2002 I read this:
"The National D-Day Memorial Foundation filed for bankruptcy to protect
the $25 million monument from creditors while it contends with massive
debt…" They ended up in this position because they borrowed
money in hopes that community generosity and patriotism would foster monetary
support. It didn't happen.
Paleocene
Park is designed to be self sustaining when completed. We plan to use
renewable energy resources, produce food for the animals and staff, have
the capability of generating our own power, maintain housing for on site
personnel, provide advanced on site veterinary facilities and maintain
a state of the art security system. I believe these are the basics. If
we ever need to endure a cataclysmic event the tigers will survive. It's
a worst case scenario plan, one that zoos and private facilities do not
have. Paleocene Park has been termed a Noah's Arc concept;
a very accurate description.
However,
leaving the worst case scenario for a moment, this facility is designed
to generate resources from a broad range of clientele. The PGA golf course,
Hall of Fame, the equestrian facility and the athletic complex is designed
to attract the more affluent, the individuals on which recessions have
little impact. That support base will be enduring. The visitor center,
education complex and facility tours are aimed more at the general public,
people who don't want to spend a lot of money but want to see and learn
about the animals.
This
facility will not be a theme park like Disney World. There will be no
rides. Neither will it be a zoo where the objective is to display a large,
diversified animal population. This facility combines high end visitor
amenities with the preservation of a species - a hybrid - much like a
generic tiger. There is no other place like it on earth.
Location
This
will be crucial for the animal's safety. The park needs to be located
in an area where hurricanes, tornados, earth quakes and similar natural
disasters are less likely. For instance, we would not entertain building
the facility on the east coast where hurricanes are a threat. I stayed
at my home in Charleston, SC in 1989 through hurricane Hugo - a 145 mile
per hour nightmare. Similarly we would not build in some western areas
due to the lack of water and trees. We would not build the facility in
another country because the USA has every resource right here and I'm
accustomed to our business environment.
We
must also give consideration to public access. An airport is not part
of the plan. Ultimately we would like to be within a forty five minute
to an hour's drive from a major airport.
The
land requirements play a major roll as well. We need trees, adequate water
and a topography that ensures distinctive but manageable tiger habitats.
We have planned the layout using 1,200 acres. The tigers will be living
in large, natural settings, so adequate land is a necessity.
Tigers
Based
on Dr. Bleyman's genetic formulas we want to maintain a healthy population
beginning with 26 founding pairs which will greatly reduce the genetic
drift associated with smaller captive populations. We will use experts
in the field of genetics to map an effective captive breeding program
that will maintain maximum diversity.
Funding
& Methodology
I
am going to solicit public support for this project. I am taking this
approach based on consumer research conducted over a ten year period.
I patented a cat care product for which I wanted to determine interest
among domestic feline owners. I also designed a new puzzle aimed at a
potentially large buying population. I contracted mall research and I
conducted surveys at cat shows, Christmas shows, veterinary clinics and
via the Web. One of the questions asked was, "Is it important that
the funds raised go to help save the endangered big cats?" I did
not specify the tiger which is arguably the most popular. In one 1995
puzzle survey the response to that question was 94.9%
yes. (1995
Synopsis) Respondents answered yes
to that question over 90% of the time throughout all our research
whether it was asked on the puzzle or cat product questionnaire. Using
this input as a guide I designed a fund raising program that will enable
the average consumer to participate and be remembered on site for their
contribution to the park's development.
I
patterned my program based on a very successful campaign conducted here
in North Carolina for the maintenance of the battleship Wilmington. I
spoke to the coordinator and determined a modified plan introduced on
a national level may successfully raise the funds necessary for park development.
I will not delve into detail for reasons of confidentiality but this effort
involves a Guinness
World Record attempt, an awe inspiring tiger sculpture,
and The
Manx puzzle competition. If this process is successful we
will be able to put funding in place first.
In
Conclusion
I
do not mean to belittle Exxon/Mobil and the NFWF for their work. I do
believe this is more a public relations strategy than anything else. There
is really very little funding designated to save this species. Here in
Raleigh we had a bank commit $80 million just for the naming rights to
a sports complex. There are hundreds of millions of dollars being spent
by cities on new football stadiums. And there's how much going to save
the tiger?
I
welcome their effort in the wild. If more corporations would step up to
the plate maybe they would have some real funding. I hope their efforts
are successful beyond their wildest dreams. But what if they're not? There's
no good contingency plan out there except one - Paleocene Park.
That's why I may be the only man alive who can
save the tiger.
Our
mission statement is quit
simple: Save the endangered tiger as a species in a secured, genetically
managed preserve focusing on healthy generic tigers as an alternative
to subspecies concentration. I am not discounting the possibility
of using a pure subspecies if a large enough founding population could
be assembled. It is more likely however this population can be more easily
actualized using generic animals.
I get many messages
asking how to help. Please read the You
Can Help! page. There are several things you can do that cost absolutely
nothing. If you have an area of expertise that may prove useful in the
future please don't hesitate to write.
If you are enamored with the idea of working with these animals I cannot
help you. You may want to look into volunteering at a local facility.
I
want to point out that I publish all relevant information on this
site. I do that because it is the most efficient and cost effective method
of communicating. I do not forward additional information through the
mail unless I receive a request from someone who read about the foundation
but has no Internet access. In that case some brief summary information
is forwarded along with the recommendation to locate a library, friend,
business, or other institution with Internet access.
Thank you for taking
the time to learn about this vast project. It is one that can be accomplished
if people take the time to understand, even partially, the tiger's plight
and decide to help. I cannot make Paleocene
Park a reality without your support.
(This
article was written in January 2003.)
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