Write a Letter -> Buy a Stamp -> Save Endangered Species

In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service issued the Save Vanishing Species Semi-postal Stamp, which provided crucial funding to support international conservation efforts for endangered species.  

Citizens have voluntarily purchased more than 25 million stamps in less than 2 years, providing almost $2.5M to support projects by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for tigers, elephants, rhinos, great apes, and marine turtles.

Unfortunately, after December 2013, the U.S. Postal Service discontinued the sale and distribution of the stamp.

So what’s the big deal?

77 million unsold stamps still remain in post offices across the country which equates to about $7M in potential conservation dollars, if the U.S. Postal Service does not destroy the stamp. Why let those stamps go to waste due to government inaction?

The money raised from the stamp helps to finance the hiring and training of anti-poaching units, to provide logistical and technical aid to protected area managers, and to educate targeted groups on natural resource extraction and prevention of wildlife crimes. Why would we want to cut that success short?

The support this stamp has received so far serves as a testament to just how much the American public cares about saving species threatened with extinction. Additionally, this stamp puts much-needed funds in the hands of those who are best qualified to address this crisis and requires no federal funding.

Why does this matter if you are in a Tigers for Tigers club or attend a tiger mascot school?

The tiger is the history and legacy of our institutions and we take great pride in our mascot. The stamp provided us with an opportunity to make a difference. Many Tigers for Tigers clubs across the country got their university and local post offices to carry the Save Vanishing Species Stamp. This provided opportunities for university students, faculty, staff, alumni and tiger fans to participate in international conservation efforts to save our mascot.

Now there is an opportunity for us to raise our voice and seek re-authorization of the Save Vanishing Species Stamp.

Save our mascot. Write a letter to Senator Tom Carper of Delaware

Please join the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition in bringing the plight of tigers to the forefront of public awareness to rally financial support for their conservation. By endorsing the re-authorization of the Save Vanishing Species Stamp, you would be doing just that. 

Click here to download our letter to send to Senator Carper, who can make a difference in Congress. 

Where do we send the letter? Here is the address:

Senator Tom Carper

United States Senate

513 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

For more information about the Save Vanishing Species Stamp, please visit www.tigerstamp.com

We sincerely thank you for all of your support and efforts.

All the best,

The National Tigers for Tigers Coalition

Stop the private ownership of big cats - Take Action Today

There are an estimated 5,000 tigers in captivity, in private hands, here in the United States and only 3200 tigers in the wild. Let that settle in for a minute…There are more tigers in captivity than there are in the wild.

“My tiger would never harm me. She loves me. I’ve raised her since she was a cub, and trust me, she’s tame.”

Tigers are magnificent and majestic creatures, yes. However, we have to remember that they are wild animals. Tigers can weigh up to 600 lbs! They have massive canines and can tear you to pieces with one swipe of their claws if something goes wrong. Within the past two decades, over 200 people have been mauled or injured as a result of captive big cats incidents. 24 people have died. 5 of those individuals were children. Is it worth the risk?

Taking care of an adult tiger is a massive undertaking and costly. The average cost to feed one of these big cats is $10,000. Although private owners mean well, the burden is just too much. Many private owners do not have the space or capacity required to take care of these large cats. This leads to mal-nourishment, poor health, and lack of space for the tigers.

                                           

Let's not forget about law-enforcement officials. Law-enforcement officials are neither trained nor have to resources available to handle a situation involving a large big cat if it gets loose or harms an individual. Let’s not put our dedicated law-enforcement officials in harm’s way.

"Why can’t we breed tigers under private ownership and re-introduce them into the wild?"

Many tigers bred under private ownership are considered to be generic and have no conservation value. The majority of these tigers contain genetic DNA from multiple sub-species of tigers. If we re-introduce these genetic tigers into the wild, we are disrupting the genetic diversity within the gene pool of the individual tiger sub-species. 

"But some people breed tigers in the U.S., right?"

There are exhibitors out there, with USDA licenses, that breed tigers for the cub petting industry. People will pay exhibitors to take pictures and handle cubs at roadside zoos and fairgrounds. Unfortunately, many of these cubs suffer abuse from their owners for the entertainment of the American public. We ask that you do not support cub petting activities. 

"What happens to tiger parts after a tiger passes away?"

There is evidence to suggest that tiger parts from tigers in captivity are entering the illegal black market within the United States. The investigation Operation Cyberwild led by FWS and the California Department of Fish and Game led to multiple cases of interstate illegal trafficking of endangered species and parts. If these tiger parts are entering the black market, we are increasing the domestic supply and demand which threatens wild populations.

Now there is an opportunity for you to help!

Support the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act (H.R.1998/S.1381). Contact your Senators and Representatives in Congress today!

We acknowledge that tigers are inherently wild and dangerous animals, which should not be kept as backyard pets or for profit in roadside zoos. We ask you to ensure the safety and welfare of both the American public and these wild cats by co-sponsoring the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act today.

The bill seeks to phase out the captive private possession and breeding of big cats by non-accredited individuals or organizations governed by the Captive Wildlife Safety Act in the U.S.

These bills would require current private owners and exhibitors to register their current exotic animals with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This will allow us to have a better understanding of how many tigers are here in the United States. 

If this bill passes, there will be penalties for violations up to a $20,000 fine and up to 5 years in jail. 

For more information about the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act (H.R.1998/S.1381) and tigers in captivity, visit the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s website or Tigers In America’s website. 

Click here to download our letter template and send it to your Congressional leaders. 

This link will connect you to Born Free USA to determine who your Representatives are to support this piece of legislation (H.R.1998)

This link will direct you to determine who are Senators are to support the Senate bill (S.1381).

If you have any questions about your letter or how to write to a Congressmen, please send us an email at t4tcoalition@gmail.com and we would be happy to assist you. Thank you, go tigers!

Sean Carnell

National Coordinator

@T4T_Coalition
#saveourmascot

Tigers for Tigers joins the Smithsonian and Portugal. The Man to generate awareness for Sumatran tigers

The Sumatran tiger is highly endangered as there are only 400 remaining in the wild. The American rock band, Portugal. The Man, has partnered with the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute to release an exclusive un-released vinyl record called the “Sumatran Tiger” to raise awareness about their endangerment. Together they have called upon 400 major influencers across the world, from conservationists to celebrities, to digitize the vinyl record and “breed” it through social media.

We are pleased to be working with the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute as one of 400 influencers to partake in the Endangered Song Project. So let us take action, inspire change and generate awareness for the Sumatran tiger before it is too late.

Want to participate?

Click on this link and share it with your friends and family on social media channels like facebook and twitter. Use the hash-tag #endangeredsong to share!  

For more information about the #endangeredsong project, visit the Smithsonian’s website here.

Want to check out more music from Portugal. The Man check out their website here.

On behalf of the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition, we would like to dedicate this effort to the late Dr. Ron Tilson for his work on Sumatran tigers. We would also sincerely like to thank the Smithsonian National Zoo and Marshall Jones for reaching out to us to participate in this fantastic project. Go tigers!

Sean Carnell, National Coordinator

@T4T_Coalition

#saveourmascot

Towson Tigers for Tigers activates students at Earth Fest!

For our first tabling event on Towson University’s campus, we worked with TowsonGoGreen at their first EarthFest event! In honor of Earth day, the event was held outside where vendors were set up and ready to share why earth day is important to them. Our goal for the day was to create an inviting and interactive table where students could learn about tigers and share why they want to save our mascot. To create this atmosphere we set up our tri-fold T4T poster, whiteboard and special “cub-cakes.” The idea here was to give away a free “cub-cake” in exchange for a picture to post on TU T4T’s twitter and facebook. The event was successful and really helped spread some awareness about our club and tigers to our school. 

The students were interested and wanted to know more about why tigers in the wild are endangered. We gave special focus to habitat loss as one of the prime reasons for dwindling tiger numbers, which combined the importance of why we need tigers in the wild and why we need Earth day. It shows a nice symmetry that by saving the forest, you are saving tigers. 

For more information about Towson Tigers for Tigers, follow them on Facebook and Twitter. 

Do you attend Towson University? Want to get involved in Towson T4T? Send them an email at towsont4t@gmail.com. 

Chelsea Connor, Towson T4T