The Sumatran Tiger
by: Kimberly Hench
Title: Nowhere to Hide: Tigers Threatened by Human Destruction of Groundcover
Author: No Author
Publication: The Public Library of Science’s online journal
Date: January 23
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120228140502.htm
Summary:
The Virginia Tech and World Wildlife Fund Research explain how the Sumatran tiger is becoming extinct from deforestation and the loss of understory cover. The understory cover—thick groundcover—is vital for the tigers’ survival because that is where they can capture most of their prey, and without the cover, the tiger would be more easily hunted by people. However, the Sumatran tiger prefers the forest over the understory cover because it prefers areas with little human disruption. The main problem for the tiger is loss of range area, a loss coming mostly from human advances into what had previously been tiger habitat and lands. The result of these human encroachments is the decline in the the Sumatran tiger population to roughly 400 tigers. There have been efforts from the Indonesian government to set aside land for endangered species, but these set-asides have had little beneficial effect. The land set aside only houses about 30% of the tigers’ habitat in Sumatra.
Graphic:
The Sumatran tiger is in its natural habitat. This is one of the few Sumatran tigers still alive.
Opinion:
Like most people, I love tigers. Who doesn’t? And I have always been intrigued with how the mother tiger cares for and raises her cubs ever since I saw a nature film on the life of a mother tiger and her cubs. Clearly, I wish—everyone wishes—there were enough room in the world to keep all tigers safe. However, my wished-for world isn’t the one we have. Two species, humanity and tiger, are colliding, and there are no easy answers at this moment. I don’t know enough of the complex details to say for certain what the perfect balance is to the opposing needs and demands. Still, I hope that delicate balance can be found and maintained. After all, as I said, I love tigers. But people need some understanding too. It’s complicated.
Questions:
- If human expansion into tiger habitat is to be stopped, where can the growing human population go instead?
- What is the population number of Sumatran tigers necessary to sustain viability as a tiger species?
- How much acreage is needed to sustain the desired tiger population, and is that size territory realistically attainable?
- Are there any other significant threats to the tiger population other than human encroachment?
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteTigers are one of my favorite animals. I have heard of Bengal tigers and Siberian tigers, but I have never heard of a Sumatran tiger…and now I know why (because there are barely any left). Judging by the picture, it is a beautiful animal and it would be a shame to see this species go extinct. When I read the summary and saw that there are only about 400 of these tigers left it shocked me. And then I started thinking that is like the entire ninth grade being the only humans left on earth! Also, as I have been doing the Google Site project, I learned that rainforests have a lot—I mean A LOT—of species and if the Sumatran tiger is removed, it can have a huge negative impact on the environment. Human efforts are not strong enough and it is time for the people that are killing the tigers and taking their habitat to be punished. I hope Indonesia can afford to create a law, or have some type of enforcement to ensure the tigers’ survival.
Question 1:
Humans have many ways to approach this problem. The first thing though is that the human race is way overpopulated, about seven billion people! So as a race we need to control this so the habitat loss issue will not happen in the first place. However, this has to be fixed over a long period of time. To answer the question, humans can live in the tigers’ habitat peacefully, after the cavemen had done it. We just cannot destroy the habitat. Or another option is that one area in Indonesia is confined for humans and the other for wildlife. This may seem simple, but it really is not. The only hope for success of this plan is to take action as a race to save the Sumatran tiger.
Opinion/Reflection
ReplyDeletePersonally tigers are a really cool species, and I find it sad that there is only 400 or them left. Like Rachel said, that's like saying our 9th grade class is the only humans left. When you think about that, it's really amazing. I couldn't imagine being one of the Indonesians who take their land away. Why would you wan't to take away land from a creature like this? Since there is little success with the government's protection of them, I think the Indonesian government should better enforce their laws. If there is only 400 of them left, they should definitely be giving more land for the Sumatran tigers.
Answer to Question 1
The human population is large, and we need to realize just because there is a lot of us doesn't mean we can take however much land we want. Land needs to be set aside for animals (not just endangered species), and it needs to be a substantial amount of land so the animals can survive. Humans can either build up instead of out, or build more compact homes close to each other. It sounds easy, but we need to do this, otherwise there will not be any species besides ourselves if we keep this rate of extinction up.
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe this fearsome animal could get anywhere near endangered! I mean I have seen the Sumatran tiger on nature channels before as fearsome but never had I thought about it getting driven to endangerment. I hear about all different species driven to extinction but never thought about how their environment plays a role in endangerment. The fact that the loss of understory cover is affecting the Sumatran tiger species to lower is interesting but sad. It makes me wonder if other species are driven to endangerment just like the Sumatran tiger. I agree that humans need to back off a bit and let these tigers grow by not bothering with their habitats.
Expansion:
1. How can we stop human encroachment as well as other things harming Sumatran tigers to stop as a nation or help group?
2. What will happen or is happening to the food web the Sumatran tiger species is in?
3. What other human activities are possibly being placed that can endanger the Sumatran tiger species even more?
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how people could do this so much and to so many animals. This is an awesome animal and it would be a shame to see it go if it becomes extinct. It is sad how the main reason they are becoming endangered is because of humans and cutting down forests. Also people should stop hunting them. What is the point in killing these animals? The tigers need these forests to survive which is why they are dying. The government has to have firmer over the tiger’s protection and help save the species.
Questions:
1. Why are Sumatran tigers being hunted by people?
2. How many species of tiger are there in the world?
3. If the Sumatran tiger goes extinct how will it affect the ecosystem?