Saving the tiger SESSION 13 Ga Write a list of all the wild animals you know in English. Which do you think are endangered? b Before you read, check these words/phrases with your teacher or in a dictionary. atigerreserve poaching destruction of habitats lbgging a plantation anti-poaching laws protection a Cover the article, Then try to guess the correct number, word or phrase in these sentences. 1 Abhundred years ago there were about 1 million/100,000/10,000 tigers in the wild. 2 Now there are about 100,000/10,00003,000 tigers i wild. 8 About 40%/60%/90% of tiger habitat was lost in the 20% century. 4 The number of tigers in India is rising slowly/falling slowly/falling fast. b Read the article, Check your answers. Wildlife Diary: Day 47 Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, India TPmin the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, one ofthe best known of India’s 39 tiger reserves. I'm hoping to see one of these amazing animals during my visit, but it's not going to be easy. I's over 600km?, and there are only around 50 tigers in the reserve. But it might be my last chance to sce a tiger in the wild because they are dangerously close to becoming extinct. A undred years ago, there were arcund 100,000 tigers around the worl, bat experts believe there are only around 3,200 of these magnificent snimals left. There are two main reasons for ths fall in numbers: poaching and destruction of their habitats. Poaching is less of e problem than t was, but it sill continues today. Habitat destruction is ess direct than poaching, but its effects are even more dramatic. Tigers have lost more than 90% of their habitat since the beginning ofthe 20* ‘century, and the destruction continves today. In places like Indonesia, Malaysia and Africa, big logging companies cut down the forests and sell the wood. Then they use the land for soya, sugarcane, coffee or palm oil plantations. That's ‘why reserves such asthe Tadoba-Andhari ae so important. ‘Without chem, the tiger will certainly become extinct. At the International Tiger Forum in 2010, leaders from the 13 countries with wild tigers agreed to take action to protect their tigers. They aim to double the number of wild tigers over the next ten years through a combination of new tiger reserves, ant-poaching laws and protection of tiger habitats, For example, in Russia, they have promised to stop Jogging in the tigers’ habitat, In Malaysia, new laws mean that poachers will go to prison for many years, and India is planning to create atleast eight new tiger reserves Positive actions like these should make a lot of difference to tiger populations, Infact, the latest figures from India show that the number of tigers here has increased from 1,400 in 2007 to over 1,700 now. So at last, the future for tigers is looking brighter. Maybe if I don’t see any tigers this week, T'll just come back in ten years, when there might be tigers everywhere, ta Read the article again, Answer these questions. Why is it difficult for the writer to see a tiger in the Tadoba-Andhari reserve? Why do big logging companies cut down the forests? ‘Which country wants to focus on stopping poaching? 1 2 8 What do the members of the International Tiger Forum want to happen in the next ten years? 4 5 Is the writer generally positive or negative about the future for tigers? Why? 64 Do you think that tigers have a positive future? Why?/Why not?