“I’ll never forget the guy, only about a year ago, who offered me snow
leopard skins, passports, heroin, women…and tiger skins.”
A few weeks ago, on Saturday 10 March, I set off on a
trek. The following evening I finished
it. It was 107km hugging the coastline
of Sydney, Australia’s biggest city. The
trek took me over sandy beaches, through forest and bushland as well as past,
over, under some of the great icons of a beautiful city. Bondi beach, the Sydney Opera House and the
Harbour Bridge were part of the potpourri of sights and sounds I experienced.
The thing is, I didn’t do it for fun. I had a strong purpose, motivation. I’d been part of many long distance treks,
expeditions and endurance events in the past but this one was different. I completed this trek in a pair of flip flops
and that was only on the road or rocky sections. The rest of the time, mainly on those long
expanses of sand I did not wear any shoes at all.
So why do it?
The answer is easy but the complexities behind the reason
take a little more explaining. So let’s
start with the easy bit.
About two weeks earlier I was monitoring the progress of the
BAN TIGER TRADE petition run by TigerTime, a campaign of the well respected UK
based charity, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. TigerTime
had set a target of 100,000 signatures before a proposed meeting with the
Chinese Embassy in London. I was very
much in favour of this petition. It
identified the serious issue of tiger farms being a stimulus for the
trade. It also called into question the
Chinese government’s commitment to clamping down on the illegal trade of tiger
parts as well as other wildlife parts.
I was worried the petition wouldn’t meet the target figure,
just over two weeks out from the specified meeting date it was still many
thousands short. I had had some brief
correspondence with the TigerTime campaign executive, Chantelle Henderson, and
I was impressed with the professionalism and commitment. My own organization, WildTiger, had appealed
to our mailing list and as we had just starting using social media platforms
ourselves, we bombed those and there was good response.
TigerTime did a magnificent job to get the ball rolling fast
and it was a great moment when the 100,000th sign up came up on
screen a week before the deadline.
By this time I had already decided to trek for the
tiger. We had decided to bring forward
the T3 Concept, something that was in mothballs after discussions around an
expedition I did through India and Nepal several years ago. TigerTrek back then was supposed to be about
the tiger but became too much about me and my adventure. I didn’t like that. I was continually disappointed when people
asked me about my times in high mountains and dense jungles rather than wonder
about the plight of the tiger. For many
years I immersed myself in more underground activism based around
environmentalism. Sometimes I was paid,
sometimes I wasn’t, I didn’t care, I was (and am) devoted to the cause.
But I’ve become more and more frustrated. Tiger numbers have dropped alarmingly. In 2003 when I did TigerTrek the numbers were
supposed to be between 5000 to 7000.
When I stepped onto the sand at Cronulla Beach in Sydney’s south the very
thought that the number is now maybe less than 3000 was something I knew would
drive me to the end. I wanted people to
sign that petition, yes, but I wanted to make my own stand, even to myself. I had good people following my progress on Twitter, Facebook etc as well as the great communications my support was giving out.
If someone were to look you in the eye (thinking you are a
buyer) and offer you a tiger skin how would you feel? Snow leopards, tigers, leopards, all their
bits and pieces. I’ll never forget the
guy, only about a year ago, who offered me snow leopard skins, passports,
heroin, women … and tiger skins, anything I wanted. I managed to play the dumb tourist buyer with
ease that time because I was so dumbstruck.
But I was also angry, very angry. The trade continues.
The tiger dies.
So yeah, I trekked.
And yes, it hurt. Hepatitis E had
almost completely knocked me over 9 months before and my preparation for the
walk was limited. The doing it in bare
feet and flip flops made it hard. I was
motivated to prove a point about Nepalese porters I’ve seen over and over again
using stupidly inadequate footwear, often while carrying huge loads for western
fatties.
That’s poverty. And
poverty breeds poaching.
So while we’re holding fundraising soirees with a glass of
whatever what do those guys do for a living?
And we want to stop poaching?
Poverty isn’t the only driver. Greed and stupidity are the two biggies. The belief that tiger bone or rhino horn can
help with your ailments? No need to sit
an IQ test those people, they don’t have one.
Oooops, have I just offended millions?
This isn’t the right forum to explain the stupidity. The fact you’re reading this means you have a
good idea about the plight of the tiger.
But I ask you this?
If I was prepared to trek mainly through sand for over 100kms in a
weekend, with a torn calf muscle and a body that wasn’t quite ready for it why
is that as I post this blog there is still only a figure of less than 114,000
sign ups for the BAN TIGER TRADE petition?
It’s not TigerTime’s fault. David
Shepherd, Chantelle and their team have done a brilliant job but why, with well
over two million on the Save the Tiger facebook page alone, isn’t the petition
numbering in the millions?
My trek did answer that question in part. I engaged many people. Most were enthusiastic. Some didn’t want to know. There were also those with “hey, we don’t
want to piss off the Chinese, they buy our coal” and “mate, there’s no tigers
in Australia” ….hmmm, back to my IQ sentiment.
I also spoke to a Chinese national who told me an awareness
trek like mine would be impossible in China.
Well I know some Chinese activists, they do great work. As well as that, just days ago we got the news
that 100,000 Chinese police were deployed in illegal wildlife trade
investigations. They achieved hundreds
of busts, we were told.
TigerTime have centred their campaign around placing
pressure on the Chinese government to harden policies and it’s been a battle to
do that. TigerTime will announce the
outcome once the presentation has taken place because as is always nearly the
case, the meeting has been delayed.
The whole issue is about much more than China though. As I rounded the final headland before the
final long stretch of sand of Palm Beach, the wonderful vision of the lighthouse
meant the end was in sight. It was
excellent to know I could stop soon but I had mixed feelings. Yes, people had signed because of my effort
and yes maybe a few more people were aware of the plight of the tiger. Australia has the worst extinction rate of
anyone but as a New Zealander I can’t gloat, ours isn’t much better.
The slaughter of wildlife, our biodiversity, is global. My walk in bare feet wasn’t going to stop
that I know. That final stretch of sand
started bringing that home. Yes, it was
great to have family and friends greet me at the end, walk those final metres,
sit against the lighthouse and rest.
But what next? As I
sat there all over the world poachers were poaching, dealers were dealing,
buyers were buying. My walk was finished
but the struggle remained.
TigerTime have the right idea. So do the Environmental Investigation Agency
(EIA) and Freeland. Put pressure on
governments.
But what should those governments do? What do they do about the greedy and the
stupid?
There are thousands on both sides of this struggle, this
battle. Huge and tiny NGOs. Governments who spend millions and
governments who don’t give a f…. Meetings
and meetings and meetings. Training and
training and training. Biologists,
environmentalists, conservationists, activists, armchair activists, customs
officers, police, military, film stars, sports stars, porn stars, sniffer dogs,
children, older people, very old people, nearly dead people – everyone wants to
save the tiger, except maybe langur monkeys and spotted deer.
And the greedy and the stupid.
Those involved in poaching are often in low income
situations. The same can go for dealers
but not all. Organized crime from European and Asian mafia groups to drug lords
from the Americas are involved in the dealing.
Illegal wildlife trade is a wide reaching complex beast. However there is one common ingredient
involved everywhere.
Buyers.
And herein lies the key I believe. Yes, educating people that tiger bone and
rhino horn are not medicine and will not improve virility is one thing but
making them stop buying skins, birds of paradise, exotic pets is another.
This is where we have to get tough.
This is where government policy has to go to
the level that is WRONG to have these things and there will be BIG trouble if
you do. Don’t just make it illegal to
possess these items make it highly undesirable because the consequences will be
huge. No more slap on the wrists. Lock up the big boys for good and Mrs &
Mrs Consumer/Collector/Idiot get fined heavily because they have contributed to
ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME. In many countries
the penalties for receiving stolen goods are as strong as theft itself. This is the same deal. Buying wildlife parts is part of damaging our
environment, our home.
Well done TigerTime, this petition is a positive step.
Come people, sign it … and follow it up.
Over the years I’ve dealt with a wide range of people
involved in tiger conservation, talked and/or worked with people in every
imaginable capacity. The passion is
there. The skills are there. We can save the tiger, the rhino, everything,
if we stop the stupid, the greedy from doing what they’re doing. Yes, poverty needs to addressed. Yes, age old beliefs have to be addressed. But we can do it.
We have remote controlled gadgets on Mars. We can save the tiger.
The struggle, the battle continues. To the stupid and the greedy, you will not
win, we are not going away.
Every step of those 107kms was worth it for it for the
tiger.
To all those involved in helping and supporting the great
cat, thank you for being a tiger lover.
To those that haven’t yet, get a life, become a tiger lover.
A big thanks to James White Photography (trek images) & Bandhu Dhotre (trapped tiger image)
Best Regards,
Jack
www.wildtiger.org
You can learn more about the T3 Concept and how you can trek for the tiger at:
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