I'm selling my tiger!  Well one of them anyway.  Before anyone starts thinking  I've joined the dark side and have starting trading in wild tiger parts, hang on, this guy is made of wood and is crafted right here in Nepal.

Like me, he looks like he's been through a few battles.  He's even got a tooth missing ... but he's beautiful, I love him.

So why sell him?


Easy answer.  I just want him to go to a good home, anywhere in the world, because it's a kind of a celebration to let him go.  I've just spent some time in two urban jungles researching the illegal bird trade and it makes me really happy to report there have been major improvements in combating this crime.  One of my team at WildTiger has done some incredible work in this area.  I'll be writing more about that soon but it is just fantastic to see that the trade is nowhere near as visible as before.

Don't get me wrong, there is still much to be done. It is a never ending battle and the trade has been driven underground in these cities which means investigations take a different course.  However, it's progress, that makes me happy ... so I'm selling my tiger.

Don't worry, I have more, all different shapes and sizes, lots of books too, yep, I'm a nature geek.  And hey, it's not just about tigers, it's even about wild chickens ... but that's another story coming soon.

My "Jungle to the Sky" journey is taking me to the Himalaya tomorrow to investigate an owl poaching racket.  It's happening in a densely forested I know quite well at elevations between about 2000m to 2500m.  Pre monsoon rains are already changing the trails so I'll be trekking carefully in the heat and humidity.  I went for a long walk around the lake here in Pokhara yesterday.  Luckily I carried an umbrella as I was several kilometres away from home when there was a big downpour.  The sky went black, the lake shimmered, the rain was immense.  Imagine my surprise when a taxi suddenly beeped at me from behind on the dirt track.

"I give you ride, good price!"

I looked through the passenger window at the driver to see his eyes were wider than those beautifully crafted marble plates they sell in Patan.  I realized that he must have been skillful to drive in these conditions while stoned out of his mind actually holding the joint in his left hand and driving with his right.

"It's ok mate, I'm happy walking," I answered.

"You want a smoke then dai?" ... Dai means older brother, pronounced "dee".  He really was happy too.

"No thanks bhai (younger brother), I'm fine" .... the road was about to go uphill, the rain was pouring down, my risk management skills improving.

Big smiles.  Off he went.  I made it home and decided to sell my tiger.

I'll post the details soon.  It'll be through the JaiBagh shop www.wildtiger.org/jaibaghshop

He's beautiful.  If you buy him you'll be helping his wild tiger mates as well as lots of other wildlife and people.

I'll be back in a few days.  Got some owls to help out.

Cheers Jack.