Colorado College Tigers for Tigers gives back to their local community

On our first volunteer trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in the fall of 2013, we had a discussion towards the end of the day about the challenges of being a zookeeper for the big cats. A lot of energy was put into providing enrichment activities, but they did offer a way we could help. One activity that the tigers loved, but which took too much time for the keepers, was making deer-shaped “piñatas” out of cardboard and paper mache. At Colorado College Tigers for Tigers, this sparked an idea.

Using cardboard boxes from the mail room, used paper towel and toilet paper roles from members houses, and a balloon, we constructed the skeleton of a deer. Because we couldn't use any processed parts, we used paper mache (newspaper dipped in a thick mixture of flour and water) to stick the parts together. We then removed the balloon, and took it to campus to show it off to the rest of the student body. To help raise awareness about our club on campus, and for the Big Cats and Public Safety Act, we set up a table outside our student center and allowed people to decorate the deer, and in exchange they would sign a letter there in support of the Act to be sent to one of our two Colorado Senators. Through this process, we sent 50 letters to Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennett, and raised awareness about tigers in America in the process.

In March, we were finally able to take our Deer Pinata to the Cheyenne Mountain zoo for one of their tigers to enjoy. For the final prep, we stuffed the inside with Giraffe hay, since the tigers greatly enjoy novel scents. We also smeared meat around the outside of the box and attached it to a zipline that would swing it out over the tiger exhibit. Watching Grom, the tiger, destroy the deer was amazing. We got to see his stalking and attack skills, and to see how happy he was to roll around in the hay after the deer had been torn to shreds was incredible. To know that we as Colorado College students are able to provide that much direct help for the tigers is a special feeling, and we all left the zoo that day feeling very satisfied with our work.

Check out our video of Grom destroying our deer by clicking here.

For more information about Colorado College Tigers for Tigers, please visit our facebook page or send us an email at cct4tigers@gmail.com.

Are you inspired by this story? Send us an email at t4tcoalition@gmail.com to find out what you can do to help tigers and support your local zoo. 

Nathan Hahn

National T4T Coalition Liaison

Colorado College Tigers for Tigers

University of Missouri hosts 2nd Annual Summit on April 4-6th

I am excited to share the proceedings of the 2^nd Annual Summit of the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition on April 4-6, 2014 with you all! Representatives from nine T4T schools across the nation, including Louisiana State University, Clemson University, Trinity University, Colorado College, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY-Cobleskill, Towson University, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Missouri joined together in Columbia, MO to discuss how to build successful Tigers for Tigers clubs, promote education and awareness initiatives, build local partnerships with zoos and sanctuaries, and  support policy reform efforts.

Over the course of the weekend, we enjoyed presentations from five distinguished speakers. Tracy Coppola, the Campaigns Officer for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, talked to us about the progress of the Big Cat and Public Safety Protection Act (H.R. 1998/S.1381), and what we can do to raise awareness about the bill and lend our support. Saturday morning we had a presentation by Dr. Tara Harris, the Minnesota Zoo Director of Conservation and Tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP). Dr. Harris reminded us of the great work of the late Dr. Ron Tilson, who spoke at last year’s summit, and talked about the status of zoo tigers. She also explained to us how zoos are working to ensure the success of wild populations of tigers. I encourage you to look into the Tiger Conservation Campaign, which was recently launched by the Tiger SSP to raise awareness about the plight of wild tigers, as well as funds for conservation efforts. Dr. Eric Dinerstein, who was previously Lead Scientist and Vice President of Conservation Science at the World Wildlife Fund, is currently working on a new conservation start-up known as WildTech with the NGO Resolve. He focused his presentation on the promising future of technology in conservation efforts particularly to address problems with poaching. Saturday evening, Hemanta Kafley, who is an MU Ph.D. candidate completing his research on tigers in Nepal, spoke to us about his research and his personal experiences as a native of Nepal. Mr. Kafley reminded us that the human side of conservation issues needs to be considered while working to save tigers. Tim Harrison of Outreach for Animals finished off our weekend with an extremely informative presentation about private ownership of tigers in America and the complications it creates for first responders. We are extremely grateful to have had these tiger experts in attendance at our summit and to have had the opportunity to learn from them.

I would also like to recognize our honorary guests who were in attendance at the event. Many of these individuals participated in our workshops and shared their perspectives on how we can be more impactful as an organization.

·         Mike Crocker, Director of Dickerson Park Zoo

·         Jeri Wright, Program Coordinator and Keeper at Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary

·         Caroline Aldenderfer, Keeper at Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary

·         Valerie Conaway, Keeper at Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary

·         Bonnie Glover, Promotions/Education Program Coordinator at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

·         Bill Nimmo, Tigers in America

·         Aryuna Radnaeva, Coordinator of the Center for Development of Ecological and Social Projects in Moscow

·         Lyubov Volkova, Lecturer in Ecological Management at St. Petersburg State Economics University

·         Anna Zavadskaya, Staff Scientist at Kronotsky Nature Reserve in the Russian Far East

·         Dr. Leslie Lyons, Cat Geneticist at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine

·         Bruce Loewenberg, Member of the MU Alumni Association

·         Gale Douglas, Member of the MU Alumni Association

A huge thank you to all of these individuals! I would also like to thank our donors: the National Wildlife Refuge Association, the MU School of Natural Resources, the MU Animal Science Department, the Ag Endowment Fund, the MU Organization Resource Group, Mr. Bruce Loewenberg, and Hy-Vee. We couldn’t have made this happen without their help.

Our break-out workshops were very successful this year. We had four groups discussing local T4T efforts, local relationships with organizations, education and awareness initiatives, and policy and legislation, as well as a fifth workshop for the steering committee. The results of the weekend are very encouraging! The Local T4T Efforts group discussed reasons to fundraise, how to get publicity for a fundraising event, types of fundraisers, and individual club goals. In regards to building stronger T4T clubs, they discussed the importance of regular meetings and how best to carry out those meetings, as well as recruitment, social and service activities, education programs, record-keeping, and officer positions. Lastly, they discussed methods to increase communication between clubs, highlighting the importance of the liaison position, a newsletter, and other methods of communication.

The local relationships group discussed how to build relationships within our universities as well as with zoos and sanctuaries. We wish to work effectively with our school’s alumni associations to raise funds locally and support our partners. T4T clubs also wish to  support students in research and internships, as this would provide us with more international opportunities and university support. .  As our universities move towards becoming more ecosystem friendly, we can work with our schools to increase the focus on mascot conservation. Perhaps the most exciting conversation to come out of this group involved creating a tiger mascot video using each school’s mascot. This video would be released on Global Tiger Day and would feature popular and diverse individuals within our schools who would stand up for tiger conservation.

The education and awareness group focused on public educational programs at individual schools, our Facebook Education Initiative, the Tiger Skit, and a week of tiger awareness at each T4T school. The action plan for this group includes setting a date for tiger awareness week in the fall, beginning plans for school events, filming individual school videos for a Public Service Announcement, creating a list of recommended zoos and sanctuaries along with the assistance of our partners, implementing individual school education programs, and increasing activity in the Facebook Education Initiative. We hope this will increase our outreach through various media sources.

The policy & legislation group set goals for the next year. In regards to the Big Cat and Public Safety Protection Act, we hope to have more letter writing campaigns both as a national coalition and as individual schools. One thing that is important is that these letters include a personal voice. Why are we as individuals interested in this act? Why do we care? Why does it matter to us as individuals as opposed to an organization? Another idea is to partner with sanctuaries and AZA zoos to send joint letters of support. Other important outcomes of this workshop include methods of improving campus involvement in policies that promote tiger conservation and the welfare of captive tigers. We hope to have an event on Global Tiger Day in which we all submit letters to Congress in order to draw attention to this issue. We wish to continue our support for the Administration’s National Strategy on Combating Wildlife Trafficking.  The steering committee focused on our successes as we have developed this organization. For example, the steering committee has grown as the number of schools involved has increased. We have also been successful in sharing and utilizing ideas, and our Education Initiative on Facebook has generated a considerable amount of attention from NT4TC members. Some challenges we hope to address are the difficulties of finding an efficient way for us all to participate in steering committee meetings, increasing transparency between clubs, the steering committee, and the National Coordinator, and defining clear objectives for what we wish to accomplish in set time periods. The steering committee successfully drafted an accountability policy and set short term and long term goals.

It took a lot of work to put this event together, but I believe it was successful and that our participants learned a lot and enjoyed themselves. I am extremely excited to see where the NT4TC goes from here! I hope we continue to grow in number and influence and that one day all 56 tiger mascot schools will participate. We are already a force to be reckoned with, and I look forward to seeing the plans we came up with during the summit come to fruition. Thank you for reading this entry! Go tigers!

Best,

Rhiannon Koehler

University of Missouri Tigers for Tigers

Vice President

For more information about the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition, please visit us on our website or on Facebook or Twitter.

For more information about the University of Missouri Tigers for Tigers, please visit us on our website or on Facebook or Twitter.

RIT Tigers for Tigers – mobilizing athletes for a cause

A little background on the Rochester Institute of Technology: Matt Miles is an executive board member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which is a committee that promotes their athletic teams and encourages student-athletes to be more involved in the community. SAAC really liked the idea that they would be saving their mascot from extinction, especially since the athletes have such a strong tie to tigers. Overall, the SAAC decided to fundraise for tigers at the local Seneca Park Zoo and in the wild. RIT’s Tigers for Tigers (T4T) members are constantly working to spread awareness of the plight of their mascot around campus. Throughout the year, a couple of 5K races are held to do just that.

An annual 5K is held in the fall, the Brick City 5K, which is in honor of homecoming and all the festivities. To raise awareness of the newly developed initiative, T4T invited all RIT student-athletes to run with t-shirts displaying the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition’s logo.  This event turned out to be a huge success with over 140 student-athletes running and they raised $250.   Dr. Karey Pine, the Senior Director of the Center for Campus Life, provided the t-shirts and matched the initial contribution of athlete donations. This was also a very special kick-off event because Sean Carnell attended and gave a brief overview of national coalition’s mission at the start of the race.

A second 5K, the FreezeFest 5K, was held in the spring with over 200 participants. What made this year stand out from the previous years was that the goal of the race was to raise money for the Seneca Park Zoo and the Panthera – Save the Tiger Fund.  Originally, the FreezeFest proceeds have gone to RIT athletic teams. Amazingly, the goal was met, and all $925 from the race went towards the tigers.

Overall, RIT’s Tigers for Tigers has raised over $1000 this year!  Matt was ecstatic with the turn out of both events and the money raised in the process. Way to go RIT!For more information about RIT Tigers for Tigers, visit their facebook page to find out how you can get involved today. 

Want to see more photos from the event? Visit the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition's facebook page. 

Clemson and USC join together for a fun trip at the Riverbanks Zoo

This past weekend, Clemson University and newly formed University of South Carolina Tigers for Tigers clubs join together for a fun day at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina. 

Clemson University Tigers for Tigers has had a fantastic relationship with Riverbanks Zoo over the years. Every year, Tigers for Tigers members are able to go backstage in some of the zoo exhibits to learn about the role of zoos in conservation efforts. It is a great opportunity for students to learn about training, animal husbandry and how zoos work together to maintain genetic diversity of various species.

This year the trip was offered to our newest Tigers for Tigers club at the University of South Carolina. Although they are rivals on the field, their passion for tigers can bring them together. We cannot wait to hear what is in store for University of South Carolina and Clemson University Tigers for Tigers in the years to come. 

Thank you Stacy Hitt and the staff at the Riverbanks Zoo for the opportunity.

Are you an alumni, faculty, staff, student or fan of Clemson University or University of South Carolina? Want to find out how you can make a difference for tigers? Email us at t4tcoalition@gmail.com for more information.

Go tigers!

Sean Carnell

National Coordinator

University of Missouri Tigers for Tigers to host 2nd Annual National T4T Summit

Did you know that there 56 tiger mascot colleges across the country but only 3200 tigers remaining in the wild? Tigers for Tigers utilizes the affinity that we share for our mascot to make a difference for tigers and develops student leaders.

It is that time of the year again, as the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition convenes for the 2^nd Annual Summit on April 4-6^th, 2014. We are thrilled to be hosting this year’s summit at the University of Missouri.

We will bring together students from across the country to learn about tiger conservation efforts and mobilize students to take action to #saveourmascot.

The students will hear presentations from some of the world’s leading experts in tiger conservation and will participate in breakout sessions to discuss educational initiatives, awareness campaigns and policy reform efforts.

Our guest speakers for the event will be:

• Ms. Tracy Coppola, Campaign Officer of the International Fund for Animal Welfare
• Dr. Tara Harris, Minnesota Zoo Director of Conservation and Tiger Species Survival Plan
• Dr. Eric Dinerstein, WWF's Chief Scientist and Vice President Conservation Science
• Mr. Hemanta Kafley, Ph.D Candidate, University of Missouri
• Mr. Tim Harrison, Director of Outreach for Animals

It has been a fantastic year for the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition as we have grown from five to 14 clubs across the country in our first year. Every day, we are inspired by our students and their progress.

We are thrilled for this upcoming event. We would especially like to thank the University of Missouri Tigers for Tigers club for all of their efforts planning and organizing this great event. We would also like to thank the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the University of Missouri for their contributions.

Stay tuned!

Sean Carnell
National Coordinator
Tigers for Tigers
607.280.4331

Tigers for Tigers shares their thoughts to the Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking

We would like to follow up on our previous post regarding the public meeting with the Advisory Council for Wildlife Trafficking.

On March 20^th, 2014, the Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking convened in Washington D.C. to take public comments on the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. The National Tigers for Tigers Coalition was represented at the event and provided their suggestions to the Council. 

Overall it was a great experience, and I am thrilled by the recommendations provided by the sub-committees of the Advisory Council. If we can ensure that the recommendations matriculate into shift action, I’m very excited for the near future. I can’t wait to bring my experience back to the coalition and I believe that there are a lot of opportunities that we can take part in.

Since the previous meeting in December 2013, the Advisory Council has divided into four sub-committees to address various concerns. They are as follows:

• Legal Framework and Reform
• Enforcement
• Communication and Advocacy
• Public/Private partnerships

We would like to highlight a few critical recommendations.

Legal Framework and Reform:

In the United States, wildlife crime sits on the bottom of the totem pole in regards to criminal penalties. The current price of rhino horn is $60,000 per kilogram and the average sentencing for wildlife trafficking is only two months. So as you can imagine, the overall risk for criminal syndicates is extremely low.

To combat this issue, the sub-committee is recommending to modify multiple federal statutes that govern wildlife crime. This will increase the tools and resources available to the proper authorities to address the crisis and will place wildlife trafficking among other very serious criminal offences, like drug and sex trafficking.

In the near future, I believe that this is a great opportunity for the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition to get involved and to support these recommendations on Capitol Hill.

Enforcement:

We also need to ensure that there is strict law enforcement, domestically and internationally. The enforcement committee recommended to modify the U.S. sentencing guidelines to increase the penalties and monetary fines for wildlife crimes, and to educate judges on the severity of wildlife crimes.

The United States also pays a very critical role in international enforcement. They are recommending an increase in collaborations and technical assistance with Wildlife Enforcement Networks like ASEAN-WEN, to direct future international undercover operations like Operation Cobra 2, and to work to disrupt kingpins on national and regional levels.

In regards to enforcement, it was great to hear that all of our recommendations provided in our public comments were being considered.

Communication and Advocacy:

“If there is one thing that the U.S. knows how to do, it is to affect consumer demand,” Carter Roberts, CEO of the World Wildlife Fund. We need to focus more on changing consumer behavior than just increasing awareness.

The sub-committee brought up the idea of a demand reduction Summit with professionals in social media, social and consumer behavior, physiologists and more to determine the best strategies to make the possession and use of illegal wildlife products “un-cool.”  Complimentary to the Summit, they recommended a round table of private and public companies within targeted sectors, like the transportation and food industry to develop collaborations.

Within our recommendations to the Council, we advised to work with organizations like WildAID to build effective digital media campaigns focused on demand reduction domestically and internationally.

Public/Private Partnerships:

The final sub-committee addressed the need to develop effective partnerships with the public and private sectors. The sub-committee was interested in addressing executives of the transportation industry, who may unknowingly, be contributing to wildlife trafficking. If we can develop effective codes of conduct policies and improve communications between these sectors and the government, we will have a greater understanding of the trade.

Conclusion:

I believe that now is a very critical time for the United States to become a leader in addressing the wildlife crisis across the globe. The ultimate goal that we can all agree on is to reduce/eliminate demand for illegally traded wildlife parts. The initial recommendations provided by the Advisory Council is a great start in reducing demand and we are happy to play a role in the discussion.

All the best,

Sean Carnell

National Tigers for Tigers Coalition provides input on the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking in Washington D.C.

Wildlife trafficking and poaching are major threats to the endangered species and the security of the United States.  International crime syndicates and terrorist groups are able to generate billions of dollars every year from the illegal wildlife trade.  To tackle this global problem, one cohesive and powerful strategy that starts in the U.S. is imperative. 

In June of 2013, Tigers for Tigers members traveled to Washington D.C. with the National Wildlife Refuge Association to talk to Senators about the poaching crisis and asked for an increase in appropriations to address our concerns.  

Check out our video

“It was quite an experience to meet with staffers, who happened to be close to our age. Many of them even attended tiger mascot colleges!” said Sean Carnell, National Coordinator for NT4TC.    

Two weeks after our visit, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, along with other Senators of Congress, sent a letter to President Obama to inquire about what the Administration was doing to address the poaching crisis.

In July 2013, President Obama issued an Executive Order (E.O.) to combat wildlife trafficking during his trip to Africa. The goal of the E.O. was to enhance and coordinate U.S. efforts to address the major impacts to wildlife caused by the continued rise of poaching and trafficking. The E.O. established the Presidential Task Force, co-chaired by the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Interior and the Attorney General. It also includes designated senior-level representatives from 15 other departments and agencies. The goal of the Task Force was to develop a national strategy that coordinated regional law enforcement to reduce poaching and illegal wildlife trade. 

The Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking was also formed in response to President Obama’s E.O., which advises and assists the Presidential Task Force.  Private-sector leaders, representatives of nonprofit organizations and former government officials comprise the 8-member council.

On February 11, 2014, the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking was released, focusing on three main goals: to strengthen enforcement, reduce demand for illegally traded wildlife, and expand international cooperation and commitment.  While the national strategy broadly addresses illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products, it particularly emphasizes the protection of African elephants and rhinos by banning the commercial trade of ivory.  This is a fantastic development and we saw a great opportunity for Tigers for Tigers to get involved.

Sean Carnell and Haley Kernell, Journalist Intern for Tigers for Tigers and law student at the University of South Carolina, with the advice and assistance of John Fitzgerald (attorney and advisor to Tigers for Tigers), Tracy Coppola (IFAW’s Campaign Officer and leader of the U.S. Big Cats in Captivity policy campaign), and Allan Thornton (Director of the Environmental Investigation Agency), wrote and submitted a public comments to ask questions and provide suggestions for the implementation of the national strategy.  

We want to know what the younger generation/American public can do to support the United States’ efforts to combat this wildlife crisis. Some of the suggestions we provided are as follows:

• Address the plight of tigers within the national strategy
• Increase law enforcement capacity and technical assistance within tiger range countries
• Implement and improve sophisticated social media and P.R. campaigns in tiger range countries to reduce demand
• Seek the Administration’s support for the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act (H.R.1998/S.1381)
• Re-authorize the Save Vanishing Species Semi-postal Stamp
• Address China’s captive tiger breeding facilities

Sean will attend the public meeting of the Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking on March 20, 2014 in Washington D.C. The meeting will address implementation of the national strategy as well as public comments.

"With the vast expertise and energy of the several dozen universities they represent, Tigers for Tigers has the potential to be one of the greatest additions to tiger conservation in a very long time. Their submission today for the President's team working on wildlife crime and their plan to present it in person taken together is strong evidence that things will be different for tigers now that T4T is here."  John Fitzgerald.

We are very thankful for all of the people who provided their input and guidance on this project. We can’t wait to hear the results of the meeting and Sean’s experience!  This is an exciting time for Tigers for Tigers.

View the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition's public comments here. 

For updates about the event and tomorrow’s meeting, follow us on twitter:

@T4T_Coalition #saveourmascot