Tigers for Tigers collaborates with other universities
By Amber Wade, Reporter. Posted January 25, 2008.
Since Dec. 13, 2007, MU has been competing against other universities
in a new kind of competition.
MU’s Tigers for Tigers organization is working with the World
Wildlife Fund, Clemson University and Auburn University to raise
money to oppose tiger farming and the illegal trade of tiger parts.
Tigers for Tigers originally suggested a friendly competition to the
World Wildlife Fund.
“Dana Morris, the adviser for Tigers for Tigers, and several other
advisers got together with the World Wildlife Fund because we thought
this would be a good opportunity to approach other schools with
Tigers for Tigers programs and combine our efforts,” Tigers for
Tigers Vice President Laura Dotson said. “We also wanted to try to
get other schools with tiger mascots involved and possibly create
their own Tigers for Tigers programs.”
World Wildlife Fund spokeswoman Kerry Zobor said the goal of the
competition is to raise awareness about the circumstances tigers
face.
“We decided to host this competition to call attention to the plight
of tigers worldwide. Tigers face a very uncertain future,” Zobor
said. “The wild tiger population has suffered major losses during the
last few centuries and has become one of the world’s most endangered
species. Worldwide, only 5,000-7,000 tigers exist in the wild, and
these remaining tigers are threatened by population growth, illegal
hunting and the expanding trade in tiger parts.”
Since December, MU has raised $1,155, while Clemson stands at $290
and Auburn at $870. The competition will end Dec. 13, 2008.
Morris said Tigers for Tigers has several plans that will help them
maintain this lead throughout the year.
Delta Sigma Phi fraternity will hold a golf tournament with some of
the proceeds going to Tigers for Tigers, and the Mizzou Alumni
Association will auction off artwork by Francesca Owens.
Tigers for Tigers is partnering with the MU athletic department to
raise money and promote the competition.
“The types of activities will be helping us promote the competition
and giving us access to fundraise at major sporting events,” Morris
said.
She said activities might include pre-game announcements of the
group’s presence and purpose and video board announcements during
games.
“We’re also planning additional fundraisers for next fall,” Morris
said.
Morris said the organization has had difficulty getting the word out,
despite a strong start. She said this makes it hard to inform the
students about the competition. “What’s a challenge for us is trying
to let the entire student body know that our organization exists,
because not every student reads the newspaper or listens to the
radio. The students in Tigers for Tigers are really trying to find
out what’s the best way to reach students,” Morris said.
Even though this competition is mainly about raising money to protect
the tigers, there are other ways that students can contribute to this
cause. “Overall, if people are aware of the plight of tigers in the
wild, we will have been very successful,” Zobor said.
“Be aware of what is happening to the tigers and spread the word on
our efforts to conserve them,” Dotson said. “We would love to have
wild tigers around as long as there are Mizzou Tigers.”
Information about the competition as well as updated totals on the
amounts raised by each school is available at
http://www.worldwildlife.org/tigersfortigers.
http://www.themaneater.com/article.php?id=28552
For The Tiger
Dee
http://bigcatrescue.org
http://www.savethetigerfund.org
http://www.worldwildlife.org/tigers/
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