Milestone Reached in Tiger Conservation Efforts

Apple Valley, MINN – July 30, 2018 Sunday launched Global Tiger Day, and today, the Tiger Conservation Campaign announced a major milestone: $1 million raised in support of conservation efforts to save wild tigers.

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is found in Asia and highly endangered.  It’s estimated fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild.  The main threats to wild tigers are habitat loss and poaching.

The Tiger Conservation Campaign -– a program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Tiger Species Survival Plan and headquartered at the Minnesota Zoo – was created in 2012 to galvanize zoo and public support for critical efforts to save wild Amur, Malayan, and Sumatran tigers.  Each of these important tiger populations is thought to number around 600 or fewer individuals.

Projects currently funded through the Campaign include efforts to curb poaching, tiger-human conflict, and trade of tiger parts in Russia, Malaysia, and Indonesia.  The Wildlife Conservation Society has been the beneficiary of funds raised through the Campaign.

Dr. Tara Harris, the Minnesota Zoo’s Vice President for Conservation and AZA Tiger Species Survival Plan Coordinator, said, “”I am incredibly excited to have reached $1 million in funding for wild tiger conservation! This is a huge milestone for our Campaign and for our zoo and aquarium community. I am grateful to everyone who contributed to our Campaign’s success.”

AZA Chair Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo and Executive Vice President of Zoos & Aquarium for the Wildlife Conservation Society, said, “WCS is extremely proud to have such passionate and generous conservation partners in AZA zoos, their members and guests in joining together to help save these magnificent big cats from extinction.  Collectively, zoos and aquariums have emerged as a conservation force and are now a direct pipeline to many on-the-ground efforts saving wildlife where they live.”

To date, 63 AZA-accredited zoos and nine American Association of Zoo Keepers chapters have contributed funds to the Tiger Conservation Campaign, along with numerous generous individuals and companies. The largest contributor is the Minnesota Zoo Foundation.

For more information about the Tiger Conservation Campaign, visit www.tigercampaign.org.

About the Minnesota Zoo
The Minnesota Zoo is a year-round destination located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. The Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and the natural world to save wildlife. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org. The Minnesota Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).