Save the Tiger with GoAnimate's Super Rica and Rashy

Important Note: Since this article and animation
was published the number of Tigers in the wild
has been revised to 5574 (as of October 2023).
Source: World Animal Foundation

It's a surprising fact that there are actually more tigers in captivity than there are in the wild. It's not that wild tigers aren't prolific breeders the problem is that they're being hunted and their habitat is being destroyed faster than the tigers can cope with.

Some subspecies of the tiger, such as the South China Tiger, are already considered 'functionally extinct' - meaning they haven't been seen in the wild in over 25 years and therefore are most likely extinct.

I've always had a soft spot for charities like the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature a.k.a. World Wildlife Fund) so when GoAnimate launched it's Creating for a Cause competition I thought this was a great opportunity for me to actually support one of their projects.

2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger and the WWF is determined to double the number of tigers in the wild by the next Chinese Year of the Tiger in 2022. With an estimated 3200 tigers left in the wild it can be done since tigers generally give birth to 2-3 cubs every 2-2.5 years.

One way the WWF is raising money is through their Adopt a Tiger Program. This is what my animation focuses on with Paul Dini and Misty Lee's Super Rica and Rashy wanting to adopt a tiger of their own. My animation below draws a parallel between the big cats and Tasmanian Tigers that were also, largely hunted to extinction.

Save the Tiger - Super Rica & Rashy by etourist

The Tasmanian Tiger is a marsupial that was officially last seen in the wild in Tasmania in 1930 with the last known captive Tiger dying in 1936. Since then there have been thousands of unconfirmed sightings, some as recent as 2006 but for all intensive purposes the Tasmanian Tiger is functionally extinct. A victim of legal hunting (they were considered a threat to livestock and a bounty was placed on them by the Tasmanian government) and habitat loss.

Real Tigers are facing similar threats only they are being hunted illegally and being used to make Tiger products for sale in markets around the world.

As well their habitat is being eroded by logging and development - something else they have in common with the Tasmanian Tiger. Read more about Tiger threats.

All money raised by WWF will be used to:

• establish and manage effective tiger conservation areas
• reduce the poaching of tigers and their prey
• eliminate the trade in tiger parts and products
• create incentives that will encourage local communities and others to support tiger conservation
• Build capacity for tiger conservation.

As far as GoAnimate's competition goes, if you're viewing this prior to April 14th, 2010 be sure to watch my animation above (and share it too). The final four animations with the most views will go into the running to win a Wacom Graphics Tablet and the winners charity will receive a donation of US$100 and two weeks advertising on GoAnimate's homepage.