This South China Tiger Puppet is made entirely from reused, recycled, organic, and found materials.
The South China Tiger is on the very brink of extinction. There are an estimated 30-40 of these tigers left, possibly less, as none have been seen in the wild for over 9 years. Only 40 years ago there were over 4,000 South China Tigers. Due to human population growth, the tiger's habitat is shrinking. They are hunted for their fur, and at one point they were considered to be pests and hunters killed them mercilessly. In the last century, the Bali, Caspian and Javan Tigers have all become extinct. Three of the eight tiger sub-species have dissappeared forever in the last century.
"The South China Tigers are very close to being gone forever, but if enough people help, they may be able to survive." When we were writing this specific material for our website about two years ago (before we had a website), this statement may have been true. Sadly, we are on the verge of losing yet another amazing animal species, it does not look good for the South China Tiger.
South China Tigers live in Central and Eastern China. They live solitary lives except during mating season. Their average length is 7 - 8 ft., the females are a bit smaller. Males can weigh up to 386lbs., females up to 250lbs.
Their stripes are different on both sides of their body.
They are strong swimmers.
They are the smallest of the tiger species.
Threats to Tigers
Habitat loss and illegal hunting for their fur and other body parts are major threats to the tigers. (Their prior history of extreme over-hunting has grossly injured their population and, in turn, their ability to bounce back). If you, or anyone you know lives in China, please ask them to boycott goods made from all of the endangered tigers. It is very important that people cease the use of tigers immediately due to the fact they will vanish forever if we don't stop harming them and their habitat now.
If you'd like to find out more about the South China Tiger please visit the following websites:
tigersincrisis.com Tons of great, accurate, and diverse information regarding tigers, current threats, etc.
Tigers South China Tiger information, as well as others.
forevertigers.com Be sure to check out all there contents including "Vanishing Range".
Humorously enough, this was the first puppet made for the Two By Two Movie!
This is the Przewalski's Horse, a heavily built ancestor of the domestic horse currently found throughout the world. They have an erect mane and no forelock (bangs). They once lived in Europe and Asia before they were hunted and pushed to the furthest limits of their territories. In 1968 the last remaining wild Przewalski's Horse was recorded, and they were classified as extinct in the wild. Captive bred Przwalski's are now being re-released into Mongolia. However, Mongolia is having problems preserving their current endangered species. These horses are very social and can often be seen grooming each other, standing nose to tail so they can itch and groom one another while looking out for danger on either side! They're about 7 1/4 - 8 1/2 feet long (2.2 - 2.6 m), and can weigh from 440-600 pounds (200 - 300 kg) each!
Threats:
Thoughthey are rebounding with the help of people, we need to remember every species is not so fortunate. Over 100 species of animals go extinct everyday, that is a rate not seen since the age of the dinasaurs. Habitat degredation and fragmentation, hunting, human and animal conflict, competition with domestic animals for food and water.
To find out more about the Przwalski's Horse please check out these websites:
Arkive.com - Tons of great images, information, and more.
Once the most common large mammal in North Africa, the Scimitar-horned Oryx is now on the brink of extinction. They have been so over-hunted that they are now extinct in the wild and are considered critically endangered in captivity. This member of the antelope family can live up to 10 months without drinking because of years of evolution, allowing developments like a white coat which deflects the heat of the sun, kidneys which minimize urine production (saving water)and the Oryx is able to raise their overall body temperature up to 116 degrees fahrenheit!
Habitat
Scimitar-horned Oryx’s used to occupy the North African countries of Egypt, Senegal, and Chad. They love sub-desert areas and woodlands that are found between sand dunes and steppes.
Threats
The main threat to this amazing animal now is genetic diversity (the fewer animals, the less genetic makeup, without a diverse array of genetic makeup they are more prone to diseases and other life-threatening situations), climate change, loss of habitat, agricultural takeover of their habitat, and livestock grazing on their once untouched lands. It is now up to humans to save the animal that was once the most common and is now on the brink of extinction. The Scimitar’s long, curved horns were the reason for it’s decline, and humans hunted them mercilessly just to get a pair of horns!
To find out more about these magnificent animals, please check out the following websites:
Size: shoulder height can be from 7-12 feet (5.5-6.4m).
Description: Asian Elephants once roamed through much of the Asian continent. The males have ivory tucks, but the females have "tushes" which are barely visible. Their trunk, which can be used for picking up food, drinking water, squirting water (mud baths!), and vocalization, has only one finger-like process on the tip. They are extremely social animals and often make groups of 6-7 individuals. Grasses make up their main diet. Though it may seem gross, baby elephants often eat their mother's dung. This action is very important to establish the necessary bacteria the elephant baby needs to digest its' food. The Asian Elephant is slightly smaller than the African Elehant, noticibly smaller ears, they only have one (instead of two) finger-like process on their nose, and they have four toenails on each of their hind feet.
Status: Endangered. As human population grows, huge areas of land are cleared to accomodate the spread, and the elephants are often used to illegally log the trees. Elephants are forced into areas where they cause damage to crops and human animal conflicts often lead to elephant death. Poaching is still a threat, and the population tends to be skewed toward females. Wildlife corridors help to elieviate the problems of habitat fragmentation. Over 100 Asian Elephants will die this year in Thailand alone.
To find out more:
arkive.com - incredibly accurate information, beautiful and clear images and videos of many animals, including the Asian Elephant.
