Russian Prime Minister, Vladmir Putin, is hosting an international tiger summit in St Petersburg, starting today.
The summit comes as concerns increase about declining tiger numbers. Held during the Chinese year of the Tiger, there are aims to double the amount of wild tigers by 2022, the next year of the Tiger. Putin, along with president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, hope to secure the support of £220m for tiger conservation.
According to the WWF, tiger numbers have decreased by 97%; falling rapidly in the last few years to just 3,200, with several subspecies dying out. This is due to loss of habitat from often illegal deforestation as well as poaching for body parts. Bones and other body parts are still considered important for medicinal purposes, especially in China and therefore trade is difficult to stop.
Efforts will be made to increase conservation areas within the Asian countries where tigers are found. Putin has pledged the support of Russia in a bid to crack down on poaching, assisting China to stop the sale of tiger parts.
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