Tiger Beer, WWF Join Forces To Fight Illegal Tiger Trade

A donation of $1 million from Tiger beer to the WWF has kickstarted a digitally-led campaign harnessing the power of art to raise awareness of the illegal tiger trade. Tiger Beer and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are inviting people around the world to help fight illegal tiger trade and be part of 3890Tigers, a digitally-led campaign that uncages art and creativity to raise global awareness of the plight of wild tigers. Wild tigers are globally endangered; their numbers have dropped 96 per cent in the last century from an estimated 100,000 to as few as 3,890 today. Illegal tiger trade is one of the main reasons why tigers are disappearing. More than a hundred tigers are killed each year and their parts sold for profit through international criminal enterprises. Every part of the tiger, from skin and bones, to whiskers and teeth, is exploited and used to make products such as medicine, ornamental accessories, and textiles. Today, illegal tiger trade and the wider problem of wildlife trafficking reaches an estimated $20 billion per year, which makes it the world's fourth largest illicit trade, after narcotics, human trafficking and trade in counterfeit goods. 3890Tigers is part of a six-year global partnership between Tiger Beer and WWF in support of Tx2, a global commitment made by the governments of the 13 tiger range countries to double the world’s wild tiger population to 6,000 by 2022. The six-year partnership kicks off in 2017 with a donation of $1 million from Tiger Beer. Cambodia is one among the 13 tiger range countries, and the government has committed to double the global number of tigers by approving on Cambodia Tiger Action Plan, in which it focuses on reintroducing wild tigers to the Eastern Plain Landscape of Cambodia. As top predators in the food chain, tigers play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems that support many other species. They will soon disappear if nothing is done and, without tigers in the ecosystem, countless other species will be affected. Leveraging the power of art, Tiger Beer has brought together six artists from six different countries to uncage their creativity and create unique pieces of artwork. Using Tiger Art Intelligence, a creative digital mechanism built on Artificial Intelligence (AI) principles, the public can now virtually collaborate with these artists to create their own unique versions of these striking artworks. Each selfie art generated by AI features the user’s selfie alongside that of a tiger, in the artistic style of one of the six artists. “We can’t imagine a world without tigers and it is an honour for us to partner WWF in support of their conservation efforts,” said Roland Bala, Managing Director of Tiger Beer Cambodia. "If tigers disappear, it would not only have an environmental impact, but it would also be a real loss for our culture. "Tigers are beautiful creatures that symbolise strength, courage and power, and it’s only natural that so much art in human history has been inspired by them. That is why we have chosen art as a way to express this together with our consumers. Through 3890Tigers, we are bringing people and artists together through technology and our goal is to use art to empower a generation of young people to make a stand against illegal tiger trade." WWF-Cambodia country director Chhith Sam Ath said tigers are an iconic species and part of the Kingdom's natural heritage. "To bring tigers back to Cambodia would be the biggest conservation feat of it’s kind and would support the conservation efforts of the whole landscape," he said. "There are many challenges ahead including poaching, snaring, illegal logging, mining, and other unsustainable development that need to be overcome in order to make the landscape a world class protected area before releasing the wild tigers into the areas. We are completely committed to the goals of Tx2 and hope to work closely with the Royal Government of Cambodia over the next 6 years to make the project to a reality.” To be part of the movement, the public can visit 3890Tigers.com to upload a selfie and choose an artist to collaborate with to instantly create a one-of-a-kind selfie art generated by AI. Whether it is enigmatic street-art-meets-calligraphy, delicate paint and ink illustrations or fluttering rainbow origami, people can choose from the artistic styles of China’s Hua Tunan, France’s Mademoiselle Maurice, Malaysia’s Kenji Chai, Russia’s Nookt, UK’s Nick Gentry or USA’s Tran Nguyen to create their selfie art. By sharing these selfie art on social networks with the hashtag #3890Tigers, the global community can pledge to help fight illegal tiger trade and help stop demand for products with tiger parts. To drive home the urgency of the situation, the iconic beer from Asia will also be removing the tiger from its logo and introducing a limited-edition design on select packaging without the iconic tiger for the first time in 84 years, symbolising the threat of wild tigers disappearing. Be part of the movement. Visit 3890tigers.com and uncage art to fight illegal tiger trade.