Dr. Chloe Wilde is our wildlife biologist. She studied ecology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Her favorite topic of study is conservation. Dr. Wilde is passionate about learning about and teaching others about how they can help wild cat populations, including reducing their use of products with palm oil in them. Though Carolina Tiger Rescue does not have any, Dr. Wilde’s favorite animal to study is the clouded leopard.
Dr. Wilde’s Blog 5/15/20
It’s Endangered Species Day! Today we celebrate the unique animals who call this planet home and focus on the ways we can help them thrive. Endangered Species Day started 15 years ago to bring more attention to endangered animals and prevent them from going extinct. Extinction is when no more individuals of a species exist. Mammoths, dodo birds, and dinosaurs are all examples of extinct species. Endangered species are those that are close to extinction. One endangered species is the tiger. There are less than 4,000 tigers in the wild today. Of the nine tiger subspecies, three are extinct and one only exists in captivity rather than in its natural habitat. The tigers that remain in the wild need our help!
Tigers are an umbrella species, which means if the tiger is saved then millions of animals and plants that live in their territories will also be saved. One way you can help tigers, and the other plants and animals under their “umbrella,” is by avoiding palm oil. Every hour, 300 football fields of tiger habitat are destroyed to build palm oil plantations. By reducing our use of palm oil or switching to products with sustainably farmed palm oil, we can protect important tiger territory. Check out this activity by the World Wildlife Fund to learn more about what contains palm oil. Another way to help endangered animals is to spread the word, not just on Endangered Species Day but every day! Share your excitement and knowledge with others so that they may join you on your mission to save species like the mighty tiger. Let others hear your roar!
