WWF Efforts to Recover Tiger Populations

For more than 30 years, Pradeep Ghia, MD, presided over a cardiologist group comprised of four physicians in Easton, Pennsylvania. An active philanthropist, Pradeep Ghia now engages with a number of not-for-profit organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the global leader in wildlife conservation and advocacy for endangered species. The WWF raises awareness and coordinates conservation efforts on behalf of a diverse array of wildlife, from marine animals to primates. Some of the organization’s best work can be seen in the decline and subsequent rise of wild tiger populations around the world.

The tiger is the largest member of the wild feline family in Asia. Despite maintaining a range that spans dozens of Asiatic countries, virtually every tiger population is threatened by human activities such as poaching and loss of habitat. More importantly, the animal’s current range represents just 7 percent of its historic range. Organizations such as the WWF have committed themselves to saving as many tigers as possible in hopes of both rehabilitating the wild tiger population and extending the animal’s habitable range.

With the help of WWF, 13 countries with wild tiger populations have signed on to the TX2 program, an initiative that would see these countries double their tiger populations by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger. After a century of declining numbers, tiger populations around the world have begun to recover. However, with less than 4,000 tigers living in the wild worldwide, there is still a long way to go. For more information, or to support the organization in its efforts to save the tiger, please visit www.worldwildlife.org.