T4T Members Roar for Tigers in D.C.

On Wednesday, September 17^th members from the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition flew to Washington D.C. to speak with Senators and their Representatives to rally support for not only their shared tiger mascot, but also for wildlife conservation in general. There were three ultimate asks when it came to conversations with the Senators & their staffers:

1. To seek funding to address wildlife trafficking.

2. To seek funding to support U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s international   

conservation efforts.

3. To seek co-sponsors for the Big Cats & Public Safety Protection Act.

The illegal wildlife trafficking crisis generates an estimated $20 billion annually which is now being used by crime syndicates all over the world to fuel terrorist activities. Thankfully, the Administration and many Congressional leaders have made this issue a priority. Tigers for Tigers members raised their voice to help address the issue.   They asked for an increase in funding to support the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s efforts combat wildlife trafficking in foreign countries by improving local law enforcement and reducing demand.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife Without Borders program provides critical funding to conserve rhinos, elephants, great apes, marine turtles, and our beloved mascot, the tiger. They work directly with local conservationists and organizations to expand education programs, reduce demand for wildlife products, protect habitats, and collaborate across the world.

Pictured L to R: Chelsea Connor, Taylor Tench, Nathan Hahn, Diane Dotson

A small increase in funding within both of these programs will make a huge impact on the conservation of not only the tiger, but also other endangered species that need our help NOW!

In the United States, there are an estimated 10,000 big cats in the hands of private owners. There are no federal regulations protecting these animals when it comes to ownership and breeding, putting not only the animal in harm’s way, but the people around it as well. This brings us to the third and final ask. The Big Cats & Public Safety Protection Act (S.1381) prohibits the private ownership and breeding of big cats in the United States.

For two days, members met with over nine Senators and their staffers to discuss these concerns and seek their support. The students found it relieving that the staffers were around their age ranging from 23-28 years old. “The Senators and their staff were nice and willing to hear us out. It felt good to know that by me being there to voice for tigers really helped push wildlife conservation in the right direction,” said Chelsea Connor, Towson Tigers for Tigers president.

The students even got to personally thank Senator Rob Portman of Ohio who played an integral role in championing the Save Vanishing Species Stamp! “It made me realize how much is currently being done at the federal government level, and how many more opportunities remain to make an even greater impact,” said Taylor Tench, current Clemson University Tigers for Tigers president. During the meet and greet with Senator Mark Udall of Colorado, the Senator himself said he would love to put the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition in direct contact with his team to provide suggestions on how to combat wildlife trafficking. Taylor went on to say, “I used to think that conservation meant going out in the jungle and studying animals or plants. While that is definitely a part of it, I never truly made the connection of field research to policy. Through policy, these types of projects get funded and laws are made to support conservation.”

Pictured L to R: Taylor Tench, SC Senator Tim Scott, Diane Dotson

When asked whether the trip had an impact on her future career choice, Diane Dotson, vice-president of Clemson University Tigers for Tigers said, “As much I want to be on the ground seeing my progress, I would love to work with Public Awareness. Human-animal conflicts play a huge role in conservation and with our help we can make a difference. I absolutely loved learning the policy side of things and am eager to learn more!” At the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition, we want to help students with their career goals by providing them with unique experiences that will empower them to make a difference. That’s what college is all about, and it’s what makes T4T so special!

For some, the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition has already helped get students in the career paths they want. Nathan Hahn, Colorado College Tigers for Tigers alum, is currently working with tiger biologist Eric Dinerstein on new anti-poaching technologies. For Nathan, this was his second time visiting several Senators’ offices on behalf of the Coalition. When asked about this year’s trip, Nathan said, “Since I was fortunate enough to go last July as well, I could see how much more ready to listen these guys about the poaching crisis and its links to crime and terrorism. That was a new idea among them just a year ago, and it just goes to show what getting involved on the legislative/political side of conservation can do for the overall goal of protecting wildlife.” These students are not only putting in an immense amount of effort to protect their mascot, but they are seeing the progress being made firsthand. We have the ability as U.S. citizens to let our voices be heard on issues we care about, and that is exactly what we are going to continue to do!

On behalf of the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition, we would like to thank all of our Tigers for Tigers students, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. We couldn’t #SaveourMascot without you! If you, too, would like your voice to be heard, attached below are letters for you to send to your congressional leaders to show your support.

1. Letter on Wildlife Trafficking

2. Letter on Big Cats & Public Safety Protection Act

Check out the rest of our photos from the trip here!

All the best,

Carrah Lingo

Communications Associate

National Tigers for Tigers Coalition

clingo@clemson.edu

Advisory Council adopts and submits recommendations to the Presidential Task Force to implement the National Strategy on Wildlife Trafficking

Advisory Council meeting, June 9th, Washington DC

Last week, on June 9^th, 2014, the Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking hosted a meeting in Washington D.C. to adopt and submit their recommendations to the Presidential Task Force to implement the U.S. National Strategy on Wildlife Trafficking, developed last February.

“As one of the largest consumers of illegal wildlife products, the United States needs to ensure that all appropriate measures are taken to tackle this crisis on domestic and international fronts," Sean Carnell, National Coordinator, NT4TC.

At the meeting, 19 recommendations were presented and categorized in three key areas: strengthen enforcement; reduce demand for illegally traded wildlife; and expand international cooperation and commitment.

The Advisory Council provided recommendations to strengthen domestic enforcement by improving the U.S. sentencing guidelines, laws and regulations to provide the proper authorities with the necessary tools to prosecute wildlife trafficking offences in a serious manner.

“I hope that these recommendations will come to fruition sooner than later. The average sentencing for wildlife crime offences is only 2 months which is nothing compared to minor drug offences.” Carnell added.

The Advisory Council wishes to bring together the world’s leading experts in consumer behavior, executives of large international retail, airline, shipping, search engines and tourism companies, and NGOs to develop coordinated marketing campaigns focused on demand reduction.

The Advisory Council also recommended the U.S. to increase international cooperation and commitment by advancing the National Strategy at the next CITES Standing Committee meeting in July, ensuring that the Administration keeps wildlife trafficking a discussion point at international forums and by increasing transparency among the U.S. agencies involved.

The next steps will be for the Presidential Task Force to develop implementation strategies based upon these recommendations. To read the recommendations from the Advisory Council to the Presidential Task Force, click here.

For more information about Tigers for Tigers, follow us on facebook and twitter.

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

Welcome to the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition!

Blog #1: June, 2013

Chelsea Connor with Doc, Towson MD

Welcome! My name is Chelsea Connor and I joined Tigers for Tigers (T4T) this year when I participated in the first National Tigers for Tigers Coalition in April. I am from Towson University, home of our tiger mascot Doc, as a pre-vet and animal behavior major. I was thrilled when another pre-vet major, and friend of mine, told me about T4T. Being in South Carolina to see other schools and students so excited to get involved was empowering and really confirmed my reasons for wanting to help save animals. Plus, being a proud Towson Tiger myself, I felt some responsibility to help our tiger mascot Doc during his time of need just like his has lifted my spirits at games. I mean, I don’t just paint tiger stripes on my face, wear black and gold or roar the fiercest roar I can manage for nothing. I do it, because the tiger symbolizes more than a mascot to me, it symbolizes a sense of being. We show pride, a majestic presence and respect towards our fellow competitors, but we also work hard to show our fierce teeth and our loud roar so our challengers know who’s going to win in the end. So I’m here because I owe it to my mascot, my school and myself to repay the honor of being a tiger every day. If we don’t fight for them, who will? Just like the tiger we are beautiful, powerful, and brave and we will earn our stripes.

"Real Life, Real Learning", Cobleskill, NY

My name is Kevin O’Day. I joined NT4TC earlier this year as a freshman at SUNY Cobleskill. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved big cats. In fact, I chose to attend Cobleskill because it has a tiger as a mascot, even before I knew about NT4TC. The coalition is important to me because it allows me to help save endangered wildlife while still in college. All species have the right to exist but saving tigers is especially important because they are so critically important to the ecological and cultural health of Asia and the world. I believe that if we as a species are unable to save tigers from extinction, we will have little hope of solving any of the problems that face us in the future and that NT4TC will be successful if we are able to motivate and mobilize the youth to take charge of their future and save this magnificent species. In order to expand the coalition I will be establishing a Tigers 4 Tigers Club at Cobleskill next semester.

The National Tigers for Tigers Coalition is a student led organization dedicated to the existence of our majestic, but endangered mascot, the tiger. Currently, we are formed from a collaboration of student groups of 12 tiger mascot colleges and universities from across the country with more to add. Through education, outreach and international programs, Tigers for Tigers works to utilize the power, creativity, and motivation of college students. The collaborative effort of the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition is focused on developing initiatives that reach a national scale to save the tiger from extinction.

This week 12 members of the National Tigers 4 Tigers Coalition went to Washington D.C. on June 12^th and 13^th, where we met with staff of congressmen and lobbied for the passage of the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act (H.R.1998), which would ban private ownership of big cats throughout America. We also lobbied for the transference of $50 million from the State Department, USAID to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to tackle the poaching crisis that is threatening the current existence of the tigers. Lastly, we advocated for the re-authorization of the Save Vanishing Species Stamp, which brings additional money into the USFWS to support endangered species protection efforts.



Meeting with Missouri's Legislative Assistant

One of the surprising facts that we learned during our trip was that the wildlife trade is a significant threat to the security of nations around the globe. Rhino horn is the most valuable substance on the planet followed by tiger bone, and elephant ivory. Together, these items are being used to fund terrorist organizations. With huge price tags on these wild animals, drug, arms or terrorist syndicates have prepared and trained poachers to do their dirty work, showing us how easy it is to kill even with law enforcement officials protecting the area. Clearly, there is a need for more officers who are trained, prepared and aware of the situation to even the playing field. Until then, when these terrorist organizations get tiger parts, rhino horn or ivory in their hands they sell it to Chinese markets in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars that can be used to fund attacks on America or other countries across the world. One example of this is Al Qaeda in North Africa, which is funded largely through elephant ivory.

Meeting with Louisiana's Legislative Assistant

Photo with Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina

Do not let these unfortunate facts get the best of you though. While in D.C., the congressmen seemed very receptive to the idea of a bipartisan vote for the protection of tigers and we are likely going to be returning next month to talk with more congressmen for more support. You can also help us out by writing your own tiger letter to let your congressmen know about this dire situation! Remember your congressmen works for you! So let him or her know what is important to you. We can only save the tiger with your help, your friend’s help, your family’s help and even your pet cat Fluffy’s help. To get more involved, join us on facebook and follow us on twitter to learn more about this issue. Our website also contains information on tigers, awareness and involvement that you can easily access to answer any questions you have. Together we can be a more powerful force than the poachers could ever be. But in order for that to happen we need to stick together, spread the word, write to our congressmen and continue to fight for the most majestic animal in the Asian forests.

Save the Tigers,

Chelsea L. Connor (Towson University, MD)

Kevin O’Day (SUNY Cobleskill, NY)

National Tigers for Tigers Coalition