Khloe Kardashian causes outrage for selfie with tiger cub in Dubai

Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian has been condemned by wildlife charities for being the latest celebrity in the disappointing trend of taking wild animal selfies (click here to see the image). Khloe then posted the image on her instagram account.

For the photograph Khloe was cuddling a tiger cub, which, says the conservation charity World Animal Protection, probably would have had its “canine teeth and claws removed – a process which causes them great pain,” so that it was safe for tourists to handle. “These ‘once in a lifetime’ photos mean a lifetime of misery for the animal involved,” it said in a statement

More tigers live in captivity today than in the wild. It’s estimated that the number of captive tigers in the United States alone is at least 5,000 - far more than the 3,200 left in the wild globally. Many of these captive tigers are kept not by accredited sanctuaries or zoos but by private owners.

Tourists are often unaware of the cruelty tigers suffer for these tourist attractions. That’s why we recently launched the next step in our ‘Before they book’ campaign, to expose the hidden suffering that lies behind posing with tigers for holiday snaps.Dr. Jan Schmidt-Burbach, Programme Manager for Wildlife in the Asia-Pacific region, said: 

“We’re disappointed to see yet another celebrity posing with a wild animal. Tigers belong in the wild, where their needs can be fully met – not in captivity for use as entertainment or photo props.

Read on ...

Camera Trap Snaps Curious Tiger Cub

Andrea Thompson, OurAmazingPlanet Managing Editor

Date: 26 March 2013 Time: 11:29 AM ET

Cats, whether house-size or larger, are known for their curiosity. A tiger cub in India's Bhadra Tiger Reserve was no exception, as it was photographed inspecting a remote camera set up in the park to monitor its species.

The cub is estimated to be about four to five months old, according to a release from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which conducts animal surveys in the area and helped place the camera that captured the young tiger's image. A second camera can be seen in the background of the picture.

The Bhadra reserve stands as an example of tiger conservation success, the WCS notes, with their surveys showing that tiger numbers are rising. The cameras the group places help them identify tigers by their stripe patterns, which are unique to each animal.

Local conservationists have joined the WCS to push for more protections in the reserve, as well as opposing forest exploitation, illegal settlements and other development projects that could damage the habitat of the tigers and their prey, the group said in the statement. An increase in the tigers' prey has also contributed to the tigers' own increasing numbers.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/28180-tiger-cub-camera-trap-photo.html

Tiger cub saved from leg trap in India

Female cub taken into care

March 2013. A female tiger cub was saved from a leg-hold trap in the buffer area of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, highlighting once again the threats posed by snares and traps to wildlife.

The cub, about six-month-old, was caught in the front left paw; she had two of her toes crushed according to Prem Chandra Pandey, The Wildlife Trust of India's (WTI) Field Officer, who, along with veterinarian Dr Saurabh Singhai, assisted the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department authorities in the rescue.

The WTI team rushed to the spot, around 50 km from Dudhwa, once they had been alerted to the sub's plight. Under the guidance of the Forest Department officials, the cub was tranquilised, removed from the trap and kept under intensive care. She was dehydrated and extremely weak, but her condition has stabilised.

Difficult to release the cub into the wild
"Forest Department officials have been scouting the area for more leg traps to make sure other animals don't face a similar fate," said Dr Anil Kumar Singh, Regional Head, WTI. "They are also on the lookout for the cub's mother, to attempt reunion. But it takes a lot of research and planning before we can release such displaced cubs back into the wild".

Photo credit WTI.

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tiger-cub-trap.html