Russia hosts summit on saving the tiger

Global wildlife experts and politicians from 13 countries are meeting in Russia to discuss plans to revive the world’s tiger population that has shrunk to a dangerously low level.

The World Wildlife Fund and other experts say only about 3,200 tigers remain in the wild, a dramatic plunge from an estimated 100,000 a century ago.

Their habitat is being destroyed by forest cutting and construction, and they are a valuable trophy for poachers who want their skins and body parts prized in Chinese traditional medicine.

The four-day summit that opened Sunday is hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has adroitly used encounters with tigers and other wildlife to bolster his image.

The summit plans to approve a wide-ranging program aimed at doubling the world’s tiger population in the wild by 2022.

Source: AP