An international IFAW delegation, including tiger conservation experts from three range countries, is joining heads of state attending the summit, which will be hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Governments of 13 tiger range states are expected to endorse the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP) and a ministerial declaration with the ambitious goal of doubling the wild tiger population over the next 12 years.

“Species are being lost at a faster rate than ever before, despite decades of conservation efforts,” said Peter Pueschel, IFAW Director of International Conventions. “From tigers, elephants and marine mammals to frogs, primates and sharks, the average population of wild species fell by almost one-third over the last four decades.”

The two-month operation involved national enforcement agencies in six tiger-range countries (China, India, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam) and was coordinated by INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Programme at its headquarters in Lyon, France. “International collaboration in wildlife crime enforcement is critical to protecting species like tigers that are on the brink of extinction,” said Fred O’Regan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW - www.ifaw.org).

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) some 200,000 cows, sheep, buffalo, goats and donkeys have already been lost and millions more have been affected. Flooding has now displaced an additional one million people who often find no other option but to leave livestock and companion animals behind. The now abandoned animals are a principal source of livelihood for Pakistan’s rural population. Millions of flood victims are entirely dependent on the upcoming harvest season and the vital role of draft animals to help plow the land.

IFAW’s Youth Voices for Tigers video messages comprise a collective call for world leaders to ensure that the next generation does not grow up in a world without tigers. The campaign is part of the United Nations International Year of Youth and IFAW’s global Animal Action education and outreach programme, which reaches more than five million school-age children in 15 countries each year. Over the past century, the worldwide population of wild tigers has plunged from 100,000 to as few as 3,000, primarily due to rampant poaching and habitat loss.