Jul 25, 2016 at 09:24 am

US$ 2,421 raised! THANK YOU and join me to keep the campaign rolling - DONATE NOW!

Update posted by Kartini Pouchous

Hello again!

Today marks exactly one month since I launched this fundraising campaign to support ASTI in taking care of Leony and Eva, two rescued Sumatran female tigers; and I’m excited to report that a bit more than US$ 2,400 has so far been raised! This covers two months of food and health care for the two tigers. As ASTI would say, this is ‘TIGERRIFIC’! :)))

Eva - Source: ASTI

Together with Leony, Eva and the entire team of ASTI, I would like to say many, many thanks to all those who have already generously donated and/or spread the word about this campaign. This is very much appreciated. But the campaign doesn’t stop here, and ASTI needs more support to continue their work! Every single donation goes a long way to making sure that Leony and Eva stay healthy and can progress with their rehabilitation programme, so that they have a chance to return to their habitat in Sumatra and hopefully contribute to the expansion of the Sumatran tiger population by reproducing. Every tiger that ASTI can rescue and return to Sumatra will take us a small step closer to saving what are undeniably among the most beautiful animals in the world!

Tigers used to roam the forests of Bali and Java, but sadly they lost the battle in these two locations, becoming extinct in the early 1950s and mid-1970s because of habitat degradation/loss and hunting. From a sustainable development point of view, the disappearance of tigers have much wider implications than just the extinction of one more species on this planet. Indeed the existence and maintenance of a healthy tiger population means a healthy ecosystem; as top predators, tigers control the populations of herbivores which in turn means that vegetation is not over-grazed and all elements of the ecosystem remain in the proper balance for the good and sustainability of not just the fauna and flora that surround us, but also for our own good! If our forests are healthy, then we humans stand to benefit from the many ecosystem services they provide. These services are vital to our survival, as explained by the USDA Forest Service¹ with reference to the categories of ecosystem services set out in the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment²:

  • Provisioning Services or the provision of food, fresh water, fuel, fiber, and other goods
  • Regulating Services such as climate, water, and disease regulation as well as pollination
  • Supporting Services such as soil formation and nutrient cycling
  • Cultural Services such as educational, aesthetic, and cultural heritage values as well as recreation and tourism

If we allow tigers to disappear, what does this say about our abilities in the stewardship of our forests and of creatures with whom we share this planet? What does it say about our appreciation of the richness of nature and the way we value other life forms that are the guarantors of our own well-being and that of future generations? Join me to support ASTI in its work to ensure that tigers survive in Sumatra and not let them disappear as they did from Java and Bali. DONATE NOW for Leony and Eva and/or get your family/friends/colleagues to support this campaign!

Thank you again for your support!

¹ http://www.fs.fed.us/ecosystemservices/About_ES/index.shtml

² http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/Index.aspx
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