Reflecting on the Endangered Tiger

10 years ago | Sonia Tarabay
10 years ago | Sonia Tarabay

It’s no secret I love my animal print! It’s always been easy to “Spot Sonia” in a crowd: just look for the leopard or tiger pattern, and you’re sure to find me! However, it’s more than just my wardrobe that’s inspired by these magnificent big cats. In every business opportunity, in every real estate transaction, I remember the grace, power, and assertive nature of the tiger and do my best to put those qualities forward. When people say “with Sonia, you’ve got a tiger on your side” they mean every word of it.

I love all the big cats: leopards, cheetahs, panthers, lions, cougars, all of them. But my favourite has always been the tiger. They’re such an amazing blend of speed, strength, and agility. They’re beautiful and graceful, and yet demand instant respect: you wouldn’t want to mess with a tiger!

In addition to my involvement in the local Sherwood Park and Edmonton area organizations, I also keep an eye on tiger conservation news and am planning to make a donation this year. It breaks my heart to think of a world without these wonderful animals in it, but it seems every year there are fewer and fewer of them.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, there could be as few as 3,200 wild tigers left in the world, down from over 100,000 only a hundred years ago. If this downward trend isn’t stopped soon, tigers might be extinct in only a few decades.

Tiger Extinction: The Big Threats

Illegal Trade: By far the largest threat to the tiger’s future is the poaching that goes on to fuel a massive underground trade in skins, bones, teeth and claws. I may love my animal print, but this tiger wants her prints inspired by the big cats, not made from one.

Habitat & Prey Loss: Tigers used to roam across most of Asia, but human encroachment on their habitat have reduced it by 93%. This makes tigers more susceptible to poaching, and causes a lot of human-tiger conflict that could be easily avoided if they had more space to spread out.

Tigers aren’t the only member of the big cat family that are in danger of extinction though: leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, lions, and panthers are all threatened species. If you love these animals as much as I do, consider reading more about them and donating to the effort to help save them. This tiger will thank you!

Learn more about tiger and big cat conservation:

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