Tiger

Mike Baltzer
Leader, WWF Tiger Network Initiative

Mike discovered his passion for nature after seeing the wildlife with his grandfather that had reclaimed the abandoned brickworks opposite their house. He also became inspired by the diversity of the tropics from collections that his teacher brought to the London Zoo. After working in Uganda, Indonesia, and Vietnam Mike joined WWF. His first job with WWF was to take photographs of the Javan Rhinoceros in Vietnam, the world's rarest mammal, by using camera traps. In August 2009, just before the beginning of Year of the Tiger he began his current position. Mike is determined to help save the tiger with help from his colleagues across the WWF network.

Karmila Parakkasi
Survey and Monitoring Coordinator of WWF-Indonesia’s Tiger Research Team

Mila fearlessly leads her team through the treacherous paths of Sumatra's forest searching for tiger trails. In August 2009, images from camera traps installed in the Rimbang-Baling-Bukit Tigapuluh corridor showed a tiger with her cubs. Always-smiling Mila commented, "It was definitely one of the best moments for me as well as for the team. After five years of research, we finally had pictures of tiger cubs." Mila's hope for the Year of the Tiger Campaign: "I hope that next year's campaign will garner more support and commitments for tiger conservation. We would like to see active participation from various stakeholders, in or out of the field. We will try our best to contribute by providing evidence that Sumatran tigers exist in the wild and they need a healthy ecosystem to survive."

Erizal
Member of the Tiger Patrol Unit, WWF-Indonesia

In the field, Erizal and his teammates walk along possible paths taken by illegal poachers. If traps are found they are cleaned up and confiscated to eliminate tiger killings. However, this is not the only effort needed to protect tigers. In Indonesia, Sumatra has become the sole supplier of Sumatran tiger parts to the global market. Wildlife trafficking is a highly organized network which is hard to detect and the players are willing to do anything to get tiger parts. Erizal stated, "It requires solid commitment and support from stakeholders to protect this species that's on the brink of extinction." He firmly believes that tiger poachers and dealers must be arrested and processed according to prevailing law and regulation. Erizal hopes that tigers and other endangered animals inhabiting the Tesso Nilo landscape can one day live securely in their natural habitat.

Abeng
Coordinator of Tiger Patrol Units and Wildlife Monitoring, WWF-Indonesia

Abeng's role is to monitor wildlife trade cases in court to ensure that the perpetrators get the maximum sentence. He is no longer directly involved in the investigation of tiger trade or poaching because people already know his face from several articles highlighting the tiger team's work. Abeng enjoys when evidence of wildlife trade is discovered and can be submitted to officials for further investigation. He also likes working with various people in Sumatra because he is motivated by their shared goal to save the remaining Sumatran tigers. "I was raised in West Sumatra where the tiger is culturally seen as respected animal that has power and magic, so my connection with the tiger started when I was very young."

Harry Kurniawan
Junior Research Assistant, Tiger Research Team, WWF-Indonesia

Harry started as a volunteer for WWF-Indonesia, but is now a full-time member of the research team. Harry stated, "I never knew how severe the threats were before I joined WWF. Knowing the factual truth about tiger conservation motivates me to protect nature even more. My family supports me because they know I gain knowledge every day and work for a good cause." Harry hopes for a cohesive campaign to conserve tigers during the Year of Tiger. He believes that an effective campaign should involve local communities whose lives are directly affected by the tiger. To help people understand the importance of tiger protection, Harry befriends locals in potential conflict areas.

Crawford Allan
Director, TRAFFIC North America

As director of TRAFFIC North America, a regional office of the world's largest international wildlife trade monitoring program (run jointly by WWF and the World Conservation Union (IUCN)), Crawford works to combat the illegal trade in wildlife, including tigers, and minimize negative impacts from legal trade. With more than fifteen years of experience, his biggest project to date is supporting the establishment of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network in Southeast Asia, where Crawford says, "a taste for the exotics means endangered species are being depleted at an alarming rate...huge amounts of wildlife are being consumed every week."

Dr. Sybille Klenzendorf
Managing Director, Species Conservation Program

When Sybille was a little girl in Heidelberg, Germany, she wanted to help animals in a big way. Today she's doing exactly that, leading conservation initiatives for tigers, elephants, rhinos, orangutans and leopards around the world. Sybille oversees the training of game wardens, carnivore ecology, human-wildlife conflicts and anti-poaching units for some of the most critical wildlife habitat on Earth. "Young people are the future of conservation. We must inspire them and we must lead them by our example."

Dr. Eric Dinerstein
Chief Scientist and Vice President Conservation Science

An 18-year veteran of WWF, Eric is an innovator. He has helped develop strategies to protect a number of endangered species including tigers, one-horned rhinos and elephants. In Eric's view, the single greatest challenge for conservation worldwide is to stop the loss of habitat around the world. He spends tremendous amount of time interacting with the public, drawing attention to the importance of conservation and related issues such as climate change. "I try to make people, especially those in their teens and 20s, understand that they could see the end of many species in their lifetime."

Dr. Barney Long
Tiger Program Manager, WWF Species Program

Barney leads our work on species conservation in Asia focusing on tigers, rhinos, elephants and orangutans, as well as other less well known species. Barney has been involved in conservation in Asia since the age of 18 working in Sumatra, Cambodia and Vietnam and now the US office. "The most satisfying thing is seeing our field projects have greater impact as a result of my support. Whether it’s by helping them secure funding or by giving technical input to develop a new approach to a conservation problem - that's what I am here for."

Leigh Henry
Senior Policy Officer, Species Conservation and TRAFFIC North America

Leigh oversees policy efforts related to wildlife conservation and trade. She plays a key role in our efforts to combat illegal tiger trade and to ensure the survival of wild tigers through improved international and U.S. policies, as well as assisting with TRAFFIC’s overall efforts to ensure sustainable and legal wildlife trade. "My "field work" takes place in the halls of Congress, the offices of government agencies and in international conference halls. While the work may not be glamorous, it’s critical; without the legal framework to support our conservation efforts, we won’t succeed."