Orvis and World Wildlife Fund Worked Together to Help the Indo-Chinese Tiger

In a country once ravaged by war, there is newfound hope for the Indo-Chinese Tiger. World Wildlife Fund has successfully begun to reverse the decline of this endangered species in Cambodia by establishing and providing ongoing support for anti-poaching Tiger Guard patrols. Through the partnership, Orvis customers donated over $49,000 and Orvis matched $30,000 to provide much needed funds to the Tiger Patrol.

A DANGEROUS DECLINE

Decades of poaching during Cambodia’s recent troubled past almost entirely eliminated tigers and their prey. In addition, habitat loss and the trade in tiger parts for traditional Chinese medicine have continued to decrease the world’s tiger populations. Now that Cambodia is at peace, and with vast areas of tiger habitat remaining, the opportunity exists to bring these big cats back from the brink of extinction.

GUARDING THE FUTURE

Photo courtesy of WWF Cambodia / SWAP Team

Tiger Guards serve as the first and most critical line of defense for protecting endangered species and their habitats, particularly in Cambodia’s Dry Forest Landscape, home to the Indo-Chinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti). World Wildlife Fund has already helped deploy 16 Tiger Guards in the Mondulkiri Protection Forest and are about to add 16 new guards with Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary and 8 in a provincial-wide mobile team.

The two protected areas total 1,472,000 acres. So far, there are 72 rangers (including the existing 16 Tiger Guards). This means one ranger per 20,444 acres or one Tiger Guard per 92,000 acres. With each ranger or guard patrolling such a large territory, it is clear that many more are needed.

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