On the brink of extinction, tigers need man as never before
06/11/2010
By Agence France-Presse
Nearly extinct, tigers can still be saved but efforts necessary for their survival face two huge obstacles: deforestation and the black market, where the big cats sell for 50,000 dollars a piece.
On the brink of extinction, tigers need man as never before
A hundred years ago, they still numbered 100,000 and were spread across Asia, from India to China and passing through Russia. But today, even the most optimistic estimates find that only 3,500 tigers remain in the wild.
"Tigers are on a decline, they are threatened by habitat destruction and poaching," said Joseph Vattakaven, one of India's top tiger scientist.
The senior coordinator of Tiger Conservation for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in India and a couple dozen other experts from Asia gathered at the National Zoo in Washington to exchange plans to preserve the species.
A symbol of power and ferociousness, the super predators are hunted down for their prized coat of dark vertical stripes over white and reddish-orange fur.
But poachers are also after the predators' bones, teeth, claws, whiskers and other organs used for traditional medicine and potions that allegedly boost sexual performance -- think tiger penis soup -- but also make a killing on the black market.
Most of the clients are in China, according to Vattakaven.
"We have to stop the demand in China. People are not aware of how many tigers are in danger," he said.
"Everyone must be involved. We need to involve people of local communities" near tiger habitats to put a stop to poaching practices, he added.
Among the ideas offered up at the gathering organized by the Global Tiger Initiative: creating specialized patrols well-versed in poaching techniques that could dissuade or apprehend poachers.
"Those are small groups with guns. With their presence only, they can frighten poachers." said Somphot Duangchantrasiri, a Thai forestry officer and head of the Khao Nang Ram Wildlife Research Station.
"But it's dangerous because the others got guns too. There were shootings and people were killed."
The sheer size of tiger habitats also present a major challenge.
In Russia, "the problem is that we have these vast areas, all those small roads; you have to control all the vehicles, which is virtually impossible," said Vladimir Istomin, the deputy head of a Russian government agency charged with protecting wildlife.
For the Global Tiger Initiative, the top priority remains halting poaching but next on the list is mitigating the man-made destruction of tiger habitats.
Cornered into divided territories, tigers are struggling to find prey and to reproduce.
The solution, some say, is to build protected pathways between the different lands the fierce creatures call home so that they may evolve without fearing man -- and without man fearing tiger.
"We need connections between parks to exchange genetics" between tigers in a crucial move to preserve the species, Vattakaven pleaded.
Experts say the challenge is just as environmental as it is political, as they remain locked in a battle to convince governments at stake to add tiger conservation to their already heavy agendas.
But that's easier said than done.
Russian tigers live in a developing area with ongoing construction. ( http://news.id.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4142209 )
TSI new members: three baby meerkats
05/29/2010
The meerkat or suricate Suricata suricatta, a small mammal, is a member of themongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some superfamilies have 50 or more members. Meerkats have an average life span of 12-14 years.
Meerkats become sexually mature at about one year of age and can have 1 to 5 pups in a litter, with 3 pups being the most common litter size. Wild meerkats may have up to four litters per year. Meerkats are iteroparous and can reproduce any time of the year but most births occur in the warmer seasons. The pups are allowed to leave the burrow at three weeks old. When the pups are ready to emerge from the burrow, the whole clan of meerkats will stand around the burrow to watch. Some of the adolescents might try to show off so they can have more attention than the pups.
On April 27, 2010, was born three head meerkats at the Taman Safari Indonesia, Cisarua, Bogor. Then, after more or less a month they came out of their nest on May 22, 2010. Meerkat babies can be seen in meerkats exhibit TSI.
2 Dwarf Buffalos to Have 2 Cubs in 2 Days
05/05/2010
On December 13 and 14 April 2010, was born two consecutive Anoas (Bubalus depressicornis) at Conservation Institute Taman Safari Indonesia Cisarua, Bogor. The first is dated 13 April 2010, was born of a male Anoa named Yudi. Yudi was born from a male Anoa named Unaaha and his mother named Lupin. Yudi birth so special, because it was born by program of artificial insemination developed by the veterinarians in the TSI. Whereas on April 14, 2010, following the birth of another infant named Tuti Anoa female pairs. Tuti was born from the marriage between Anoa Males called Mencong and her mother named Kelly. Both Yudi and Tuti is the third generation (F3) anoa who was born in Taman Safari. A good effort for a successful work done by the TSI to maintain the presence of animals endemic to Indonesia
Tsavo Lion Menangkan Kompetisi Kuliner Internasional
04/05/2010
RESTORAN Tsavo Lion milik Bali Safari and Marine Park (BSMP) memenangkan kompetisi kuliner internasional yang diadakan oleh Bali Culinary Professional yang bertempat di Nusa Dua, Bali.
Humas BSMP Maylia Kartika S Parmono dalam siaran persnya di Denpasar pada Rabu (31/3) menjelaskan, pada kompetisi itu, restoran yang terletak di areal BSMP di Kabupaten Gianyar itu memperoleh medali perak.
"Dengan demikian, maka restoran Tsavo Lion ini telah membuktikan bahwa kelasnya sudah sejajar dengan restoran hotel berbintang lima," ujar Maylia.
Dikemukakan oleh Maylia, pada ajang tersebut, Chef Gusti Nyoman Setiawan juga mendapatkan penghargaan untuk kategori Individual Hot Cooking Norwegian Seafood.
"Chef Gusti Setiawan memadukan ikan oily salmon, labu dan asparagus dengan baluran kuah yang kental menjadi sajian bercita rasa tinggi yang hanya dapat dinikmati di Restoran Bali Safari Tsavo Lion," katanya.
Ia mengaku bangga bahwa restoran milik BSMP bisa menjadi bagian dari ajang kompetisi kuliner berkelas itu dan tentunya hal ini akan menjadi motivasi pengelola untuk terus berkarya guna mengharumkan nama Tsavo Lion, BSMP serta Indonesia ke dunia internasional.
Sementara itu, Executive Chef Restoran Tsavo Lion Mahadi mengatakan, restorannya dikelola dengan konsep unik yang memberikan pengalaman tak terlupakan.
"Kami menyediakan kombinasi sajian makanan dari seluruh penjuru dunia dan pertama di Asia yang mengajak Anda untuk menikmati hidangan lezat ditemani oleh si raja hutan," katanya.
Treasury of cultural and wildlife tours
03/30/2010
Taman safari known by public as animal park which different concept with common zoos. Large collection of animals from various places in Indonesia and even from some countries can be seen directly in the TSI. Usually, after wildlife sites around the duration of approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, visitors will get to the recreation center. From the recreation center, visitors can see the collection of birds at the bird Aviary and continued to baby zoo.
Recreation center, or better known as plaza gajah, visitors can enjoy various dishes to eat in rain forest restaurant, or just drinking coffee at café Onta. Usually ranging from elephant plaza, visitors planning to tour TSI recreation area, the aim are to see animals show that every day in the title. There are 9 free performances every days in the TSI.
For visitors who want to add to the treasury of knowledge about wild animals, may also visit the exhibits, exhibit scattered recreation sites, the way through the streets in the recreation area, visitors can find birds of prey exhibit, crocodile parks, culture & wildlife pavilion NTT , pavilion papua, Penguin humbolt exhibit uniquely designed on a boat trip, reptiles hallway here you'll see the local snake species, until the snake from abroad, Primate Center Flyover, the African Pavilion, Ajungan Kalimantan and Japan. Pavilion and exhibit all the designs in accordance with its habitat and has its own uniqueness.
If visitors want to see our full collections mentioned above, Visitors can follow the tour guide program, which is held each day beginning at 13:00. The journey will start from Plaza gajah and visitors will be given information and explanations about the animals that there is also information about the Safari Park.
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