Are you ready to save tigers from extinction?

_{SAVE THE DATE FOR THE BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2022} ‍_{which will run from Tuesday 29th November until Tuesday 6th of December.}

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As we celebrate the Year of the Tiger, we must surely recognise that if we fail to save such an iconic animal then the future for our planet and all life with which we share it looks bleak.  

‍With your help, we want to raise a total of £30,000 to protect the health of wild tigers around the globe.

During the Big Give Christmas Challenge in December, all online donations will be match-funded.

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‍The Problem

Today, many wild tiger populations are in decline, edging ever closer to extinction. Emerging disease and the continuing encroachment of humans into their territories pose fresh threats every day.  

In many tiger range states there are no formal training opportunities for wildlife health professionals. People working on the conservation frontline have to learn on the job, often without anyone to support or guide them. The fact that local vets are rarely trained in wildlife medicine is often overlooked by traditional conservation partners and organisations.  

The Solution

Wildlife Vets International exists to fill this gap, training our local partners and addressing relevant local needs. These can range from learning how to treat sick and injured tigers or safely capture an animal that has come into conflict with humans, to how to take samples for disease testing, or assess a release site for re-introducing tigers to a new area.

WVI works to:

• Support the rehabilitation of sick and injured wild tigers through training, clinical support and knowledge-sharing, both in the field and remotely.

• Make sure conservation and veterinary staff know how to monitor and tackle disease threats, like canine distemper virus which is affecting more and more tiger populations. We help design effective disease surveillance programmes and build local diagnostic capacity.

• Provide veterinary expertise and advice for translocations and reintroductions of tigers to new areas, or areas that were historically part of the tiger’s range.  

Vital Funds

The training, clinical support and mentorship we give those working to save tigers is backed up through our partnership with the Wild Tiger Health Project. The WTHP is a unique online resource – a sort of living textbook – that gives local conservationists free access to reliable information, as well as connecting them to colleagues around the globe. It was set up by our late founder, Dr John Lewis, who was a passionate and world-renowned tiger vet.

Funds raised will go towards conservation initiatives such as:

• Paying for a wild tiger vet to visit the UK for bespoke clinical training (£3,000);
• Funding a three day training workshop for vets in Indonesia and Malaysia to equip them to carry out the first nationwide survey of wild tiger health (£24,000);
• Keeping the Wild Tiger Health Project up to date and free to access for all tiger conservationists and vets (£7,000);
• Building laboratory testing capacity in a tiger range state as we have already done in Nepal (£12,000);
• Providing a leading Amur tiger and leopard rehabilitation centre with specialist anaesthesia and clinical support (£2,000);
• Carrying out a Disease Risk Analysis for the reintroduction of tigers to Kazakhstan (£8,000).
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Why Wildlife Vets International?

WVI has been involved in tiger conservation across their range since we started in 2004. It began with training field staff in safe anaesthesia of tigers caught for radio collaring  and in conflict situations. At the same time, we began advocating for the importance of understanding disease and how to control it, as it was becoming increasingly obvious that canine distemper virus was a serious threat across much of the tiger’s range. Our training and support helps vets, biologists, conservationists and their colleagues in the field to maximise the effectiveness of their efforts to save tigers in the wild.

Wherever we work, we are committed to building flexible long-term relationships. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that the challenges we face today may be very different from the ones we face tomorrow. But whatever the future brings, we will be there, supporting our partners as they strive to make sure wild tigers are not lost forever.

For more and for case studies please click on the picture: 

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SAVE THE DATE NOW! Tuesday 29th November