There are many days every year meant to recognize various causes—from Arbor Day to the upcoming Earth Overshoot Day. International Tiger Day—celebrated on July 29—is one worth observing.
Only a few thousand tigers remain a result of animal poaching and trafficking, according to a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report. That’s a 97% decline from a century ago and some subspecies have already gone extinct.
But there is a glimmer of hope. Aggressive anti-poaching measures have been met with success in some parts of the world. Nepal, for instance, has launched an aggressive law enforcement effort to prosecute poachers and monitor wildlife. “At a time when poachers are waging an all-out war against wildlife, Nepal serves as a beacon of hope for the tiger,” said John Goodrich, tiger program director at the group conservation group Panthera, in a press release.
Now, conservation groups are pushing other countries to do the same.