Hollywood Stars Gather to Save The Tigers

Tigers are a dying species, and now, some of the biggest names in Hollywood are doing their part to save them.

Stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jared Leto, Sophia Bush and Dick Van Dyke have made pleas to the public via the Internet for donations to save the endangered animals. Former “My Name Is Earl” actor Ethan Suplee has gone so far as to travel to Asia recently with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to learn more about tiger protection and to encourage efforts to save the endangered animals.

“It’s time for all of us to step up and earn our stripes for tigers,” Suplee said in a video recorded during the trip.

“The demand for wild tiger parts is huge and tigers need protection now – immediately ­– to save them from ending up killed and sold on the black market.”

Fortunately, these actors are not alone in their efforts.

This week, world tiger experts and government officials from the 13 countries still with native tiger populations are meeting in Bali to draft the “Global Tiger Recovery Program,” a document that will list guidelines for tiger range countries to follow to save the species from extinction.

Tiger populations are shrinking fast because the species is severely threatened by habitat loss and poaching; their skins, bones and other body parts are used in many cultures as medicines, talismans, status symbols and clothing. But tigers can thrive if they have strong protection from poaching and habitat loss and enough prey to eat, according to WWF.

There are currently only 3,200 tigers left in the wild. Advocates for their survival can build a safe haven for these magnificent animals by texting the words “Tigers” to 20222 from your cell phone, which will donate $10 to WWF’s tiger-saving efforts, or one can help spread the message by adding tiger-related decorations to your pictures on Facebook or tagging your Twitter posts with “#savetigersnow”.

Click Here to learn more about tigers and their survival plight.