Malaysia tiger mauling stopped by wife with soup ladle

Tigers do not usually attack humans - nor they do often have to fend off soup ladles

A man has been rescued from a near-fatal attack by a tiger in northern Malaysia by his wife.

She entered the fray wielding a wooden soup ladle at the tiger - which fled.

Tambun Gediu, now badly lacerated and recovering in hospital, had tried hitting the tiger away in vain and says his wife saved his life.

Wildlife rangers plan to track the tiger and send it further into dense, unpopulated jungle in the the northern state of Perak.

"I was trailing a squirrel and crouched to shoot it with my blowpipe when I saw the tiger.

"That's when I realised that I was being trailed," Mr Gediu said after surgery.

The tiger pounced not far from the Gediu home in a jungle settlement of the Jahai tribe.

Mr Gediu had tried climbing a tree to escape the animal, but was dragged down by the tiger.

His wife, 55-year old Han Besau, rushed out of the kitchen on hearing his screams and used the kitchen implement to good effect.

"I was terrified and I used all my strength to punch the animal in the face, but it would not budge," the New Straits Times newspaper quoted him as saying.

"I had to wrestle with it to keep its jaws away from me, and it would have clawed me to death if my wife had not arrived."

It was the first time anyone in the village had been attacked by a tiger.

The director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in the state, Shabrina Mohd Shariff, estimated that there were about 200 tigers in the jungles of Perak.

She added that five had been spotted near the major East-West Highway in the region.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12446232

Scotland's animal lovers keen to p-pick up a penguin for an unusual gift

Their adorable appearance makes penguins one of the most beloved creatures in the animal kingdom and new figures show hundreds of people would love their own penguin.

The flightless birds are the most popular choice for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's 'adoption scheme' and also claimed second and third place in a survey.

In the last 12 months, 180 people adopted a King penguin, 106 a Gentoo penguin and 99 a Rockhopper penguin.

The black-and-white birds have graced the silver screen in films such as March of the Penguins and became an online hit last year thanks to a live webcam of the Gentoo enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo.

And the Happy Feet flappers' popularity with animal lovers has been confirmed by the RZSS's latest research.

The RZSS lets people sponsor a creature at zoos and wildlife park for a year through its adoption scheme.

Money raised through the scheme goes towards the general care and upkeep of the animals, and can pay for things like food, veterinary care and heating the enclosures.

Tracy Hope, Acting Development Manager said: 'Animal Adoption is a great way to support RZSS. Our animals need care 365 days a year, and by adopting an animal you can contribute to this.'

At the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie in the Highlands the polar bear was the top choice for sponsors, with 111 adopting one.

The second most popular choice was the wildcat, picked by 84 people. The so-called 'Highland tiger' is now one of Britain's rarest mammals , with as few as 400 thought to be left in the wild.

The third most popular choice for adopters at the Highland Wildlife Park was the Amur tiger, chosen by 77 people.

The big cats are now found only in isolated populations around the Amur river valley in the far east of Russia and on China's north east border.

Only 450 are estimated to be left in the wild, with their survival threatened by poaching and habitat loss.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343616/Britains-animal-lovers-keen-p-pick-penguin-unusual-gift.html#ixzz19xuanQcX

Nations band together to save tigers, eye comeback by 2022

The wild tiger population is less than 4 percent of what it was a century ago, and leaders in 13 nations are taking a stand against the poaching and habitat destruction that have decimated the majestic predators' numbers.

This time around, actions will speak louder than words, they say.

With the conclusion of a high-profile summit, attracting guests as notable as actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, governments and conservation groups pledged $327 million with the goal of doubling the wild tiger population by 2022.

The four-day International Forum on Tiger Conservation, which ended Wednesday, was billed as a last chance for the wild tiger, Its numbers have dropped from 100,000 to 3,600 over the past 100 years.

Poaching, illegal trade and habitat destruction have forced the animal to the brink of extinction, according to the Global Tiger Initiative, which estimates that wild tigers exist today in less than 7 percent of their historic range.

"I am confident that we will look back on this day as a turning point in the effort to save one of the world's best-loved animals," World Wildlife Fund Director Jim Leape said.

The St. Petersburg, Russia, summit featured leaders from all 13 countries where tigers still live in the wild: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.


It also enjoyed some celebrity backing as DiCaprio not only attended the summit, he committed $1 million to the cause.

"Illegal poaching of tigers for their parts and massive habitat loss due to palm oil, timber and paper production are driving this species to extinction," the actor said in a statement. "If we don't take action now, one of the most iconic animals on our planet could be gone in just a few decades. By saving tigers, we can also protect some of our last remaining ancient forests and improve the lives of indigenous communities."


While a substantial portion of the funding comes from the so-called tiger countries, the international community provided the majority of the money. The WWF, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Bank have pledged a collective $200 million.

"The lineup of international support is critical. Poorer tiger range countries face different challenges. Some countries just can't afford it, and at the end of the day, you cannot save tigers unless you protect them," said Barney Long, head of the WWF's Tiger Program in the U.S.

Michael Baltzer, of the fund's Tigers Alive Initiative, said the effort depends heavily on wealthier nations doing their part.


"We hope rich countries will mirror our funding efforts, or ultimately we're going to keep losing tigers," he said.

Among the richer nations already promising contributions are Germany, which has pledged an additional $17.2 million, and the U.S., which will donate $9.2 million to tiger-conservation efforts.

Experts say an additional $350 million is needed from the international community to protect and monitor the last remaining habitats for tigers.

Even as the Tiger summit was coming to a close, the International Fund for Animal Welfare reported that yet another tiger had been poisoned in north India. It was the third tiger slain in two weeks, according to the group.


"These tiger deaths highlight how critical it is to translate talk into action," fund President Fred O'Regan said in a statement.

O'Regan applauded the St. Petersburg summit and said he hopes the conference proves successful in "mobilizing the political will needed to save this charismatic and critically endangered species."

"But it's what we do after the meetings to bring the right resources to the people and communities on the front lines of tiger conservation that will make the difference -- or not -- to the fate of wild tigers," he said.

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http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/11/24/tiger.summit.goals/

Tiger summit aims to double numbers

Governments of the 13 countries where tigers still live aim to agree moves that could double numbers of the endangered big cats within 12 years.

The International Tiger Conservation Forum in St Petersburg will discuss proposals on protecting habitat, tackling poaching, and finance.

About 3,000 tigers live in the wild - a 40% decline in a decade.

There are warnings that without major advances, some populations will disappear within the next 20 years.

Five prime ministers are due to attend the summit, including China's Wen Jiabao and Vladimir Putin of Russia.

"Here's a species that's literally on the brink of extinction," said Jim Leape, director general of conservation group WWF.

"This is the first time that world leaders have come together to focus on saving a single species, and this is a unique opportunity to mobilise the political will that's required in saving the tiger."

Double trouble

The draft declaration that leaders will consider acknowledges that "Asia's most iconic animal faces imminent extinction in the wild".

Reducing demand for skins and body parts is key - but largely missing from the draft declaration

Measures aimed at doubling numbers include making core tiger areas "inviolate", cracking down on poaching and smuggling, making people aware of the importance of tigers, and setting up cross-boundary protected areas where necessary.

A recent report by Traffic, the global wildlife trade monitoring organisation, said that body parts from more than 1,000 tigers had been seized in the last decade.

But there is acknowledgement that some of the smaller nations will need help, in the form of money and expertise.

Earlier this year, scientists calculated the price of effective global tiger conservation at $80m (£50m) per year, but said only $50m was currently on the table.

However, campaigners say financial concerns should not be an excuse for inaction.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) points out that by comparison, it is estimated that "China spent $31bn on the Olympic Games in 2008, while India spent a total of $2.6bn on the 2010 Commonwealth Games".

"This is the big question," said EIA's campaigner Alasdair Cameron.

"The draft deal has a lot of positive stuff in it, but a lot of the stuff has been around for years - what we need is the political will to make it happen."

He identified two elements missing in the draft deal: measures to reduce the demand for tiger skins and bones and body parts for traditional medicine, and any discussion of tiger farms.

Both are sensitive topics in China, where it is estimated there are more tigers in captivity than exist globally in the wild.

The World Bank has given substantial backing to moves aimed at saving the tiger, and its president Robert Zoellick also referred to the need to reduce demand, especially in China and Vietnam.

"There's no question everyone recognises this as a core issue - the challenge is how we get at it," he said.

Film star Jackie Chan recently voiced some public service announcements in China asking people not to use tiger parts, which Mr Zoellick said was playing a part in "chaning public attitudes".

Small is ugly

From a scientific perspective, one of the most worrying aspects of the tiger's plight is that many populations are very small - fewer than 100 animals.

The declaration would see core tiger habitat put off limits from any other usage

This means that incidents such as disease can prove particularly severe.

Of the nine sub-species recognised to have been in existence 100 years ago, at least three have since disappeared.

The Bali tiger was last seen in the 1930s, while the Javan and Caspian sub-species were wiped out in the 1970s. All are officially listed as extinct.

The South China tiger may also have disappeared from the wild, with no sightings for nearly 40 years.

Jean-Christoph Vie, deputy head of the species programme with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), suggested the tiger could be seen as a test-case for whether countries are really serious about saving biological diversity.

"Some people are saying 'well, doubling the tiger population is good, but we have no room' - I've heard that said [in preliminary meetings]," he told the BBC.

"It needs to be done everywhere - especially we need to see a doubling where you have significant populations.

""If you leave tigers alone and don't kill them and don't poach them, then naturally they will double in 10 years."

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11791105