Grateful Dead

There should be a way to fund the "brave guards who patrol" directly. I bet if there was a bit of a salary involved, more local people might be inspired to patrol and help protect tigers. Or we set up a camp locally with a bunch of volunteers to do it. I guess this is risky and dangerous-but I would do it! And my kid :)********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain

I could write a lot about tigers since I have been involved on and off in tiger conservation for 15 years. 12 years ago at the Year of the Tiger conference in Dallas we were shocked that there were just 7000 left in the wild. Now the latest Year of the Tiger conference announced there are a maximum of 3500..so half have gone in a decade. The unrelenting demand for tiger products from China is undeniable and will lead to their extinction in the wild in the next 30-50 years. I despair at the selfish publicity of the ‘discovery ‘of those tigers in Bhutan. 10 years ago we made similar discoveries in SW Cambodia…tiger signs were common and sightings quite regular. Within 2 years the middle men and traders moved in and the slaughter began. Now there may be just 10 left there. All the publicity about Bhutan will kick off the same process…I wish they had just kept quiet. If you have a new idea Gonzo I am really glad because folks are running out of ideas. The best tiger conservation going on now is in Sumatra where teams of brave guards patrol tiger habitat 24/7 and finally the government has started prosecuting not just the poor people who do the poaching, but also the middle men and big shots who drive the trade. Now even the World Bank has got on the Tiger Conservation Trail, trying to mobilise governments and business to get involved...take a look at their new site http://www.globaltigerinitiative.org/ it has a lot of facts and figures. All good stuff, but the best hope at the moment is committed protection in the places where tigers hang on.

wagwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwag...

as Gonzo said, what is wrong is having a negative opinion before even knowing what Gonzo's contemplating! That is NOT OK!********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain

As always Rene...luv ya...and I would think it's obvious that what brother Gonz is proposin' is a work in progress, not set in stone, though I do concede that ratsnkats has a right to his opinion, miscued as it may be (be it noted that that is only MY opinion, of course).

Gonzo is anything but arrogant!********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain

Think you need to read just a teenzie bit closer before you flame my idea I haven't even yet espoused. Though perhaps I was unclear in the phrasing. What I meant was I need to talk to some experts, academic and otherwise, for a couple of months and write a coupe of grant proposals that have a 75% or better shot of working before I can even BEGIN the project. If you're writing under a pseudonym, ratsnkats, care to let us in on who you are??

Attempting to make a difference is not arrogant, but putting down someone for trying certainly is. I'm gonna paraphrase here....all that it takes for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.

Do you really think you can change an ancient cultural tradition at the snap of your fingers? I agree it's not good that they take the endangered species, but sadly, there will always be a demand. I remember when Condaliza Rice stated the she was going to the Middle East and she would get it all straightened out in a matter of weeks. This feud has been going on for THOUSANDS of years, it's not going to be solved quickly or easily, and neither is the black market trading animal parts. More arrogance, anyone?

I'm not one to throw fairy dust. I'd be be sure to have at least 2 NGOs to monetarily and administratively oversee me. No flights of fancy. Just enough of an idea (at least) to chuck money at and have more than a reasonable chance of success with something to build upon. Sorry to be so cryptic but give it a month or two to gel and the you'll see why. In the meantime, if you have any ideas about snuffing out Tiger penis envy among the less educated oriental cultures, I'm all ears! ~ Just a saint of circumstance, Just a tiger in a trance ~