It may come as a surprise to many that even after countless thousands of years of co-existence with humans in Sumatra, until just a few years ago very little was known about the Sumatran tiger. In order to save the tiger we must first understand it and this knowledge is just emerging. In our quest for conservation solutions, the Sumatran tiger presents challenges quite unlike any other species. Unlike the Bengal tiger, direct observations of Sumatran tigers in the wild are very uncommon indeed. Its natural shyness, acute sense of smell and hearing, and the dense nature of the habitat in which it lives, prevent the use of traditional census and ecological investigation. These characteristics, whilst protecting the tiger from man to some extent, also traditionally prevented us from assessing the tigers' true status, where it is found, and what factors threaten its survival. In the past, this lack of knowledge has been the single greatest contributor to our inability to act. Only with recent developments in field techniques, such as those pioneered by the Sumatran Tiger Project in Way Kambas National Park, have we been able to reverse this pattern.

All the evidence points towards the conclusion that the Sumatran tiger will be gone too, unless we can quickly learn from the hard realities of previous experience. Poaching is ongoing and in certain areas, uncontrolled. Ominously, forest disturbance is continuing to divide these populations into even smaller populations. The smaller each group of tigers is, the greater its vulnerability to poaching and severe environmental catastrophes such as the El Nino fires of 1997 and inbreeding. Conflicts between people and tigers only intensify as economic factors and population growth exert their influence. Time is of the essence; the tiger populations in Sumatra are reaching a critical threshold that once crossed, will be impossible to revisit. If we can mobilize resources now, coming together in a true spirit of cooperation and collaboration, then there is still a chance. If we cannot, then the wild tigers of Sumatra will be gone forever. Please help The Tiger Foundation to save the Sumatran tiger. There are less than 500 left in the wild. Give generously. Act now!