Wildlife Alliance

Wildlife Alliance, an active member of the International Tiger Coalition, was pleased to attend the launch of the World Bank’s Tiger Conservation Initiative at the National Zoo on June 9, 2008.

The Bank was launching its first-ever species conservation initiative around the tiger, Asia’s greatest wild predator and an umbrella species for habitats throughout Asia, from the jungles of Sumatra and grassy plains of India to the snowy taiga of the Russian Far East.

With our field programs and partnerships in Southeast Asia and Russia, and our support for wildlife law enforcement efforts, Wildlife Alliance strongly supports the Bank’s interest in strengthening protection for tigers and other threatened species and habitats. At the National Zoo, we joined World Bank President Robert Zoellick and government dignitaries, non-profit leaders, and others to unveil the Bank’s new commitment to protecting wild tigers.

Celebrities including Harrison Ford, Bo Derek, Russian rock singer Ilya Lugatenko and others appeared, giving the ceremony a touch of glamour.

The launch event and the afternoon symposium on wild tiger conservation were attended by some of the world’s leading experts on tigers. In the symposium, Wildlife Alliance’s support for efforts to stop wildlife poaching and trafficking through the ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network Support Program was widely recognized as a leading effort in protecting tigers from illegal smuggling for their pelts, bone, and other parts.

Wildlife Alliance accompanied Major-General Surasit Sangkhaphong of the Royal Thai Police, Chairman of the ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit.

Not all of the event focused on South and Southeast Asia: anti-poaching efforts in Russia by Wildlife Alliance’s partner, Phoenix Fund, and other organizations, were also regarded as one of the great success stories in saving wild tigers.