3890 Tigers with WWF
Brand collaboration
Singapore and Cambodia
2017
Your Selfies Could Help Save Endangered Tigers. With a $1 million donation to the World Wildlife Fund, Tiger Beer kicks off a social media awareness campaign around the 3,890 tigers left in the wild.
Article By Abby Ronner for Vice
It is estimated that only 3,890 tigers exist in the wild. Their habitats have been diminished by over 90% and the animals are worth a fortune on the black market. Traditional Chinese medicine creates the most demand for tiger products, as tigers hold a particular mystique and power in Chinese lore.
UPDATE: According to the latest research and data, there has been an increase in the number of tigers, and now The Total Number of Wild Tigers Worldwide is 5,574.
Source: World Animal Foundation
Tiger Products
Tiger bones are believed to hold anti-inflammatory properties and are used in powders, soups, and balms, among other items, while tiger pelts are even more coveted.
Artists from the UK and China, Nick Gentry and Hua Tunan, venture into Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary on the trails of the majestic tiger - last sighted in the Cambodian forests ten years ago.
World Wildlife Fund and Tiger Beer partnership
Despite poaching, climate change and other devastation, the wild tiger population has been on the rise in recent years, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has made it their mission to keep it that way. They recently received a $1 million donation from Tiger Beer to support their cause.
Cultural Meaning
According to Mie-Leng Wong, Global Director of Tiger Beer, "We cannot imagine living in a world without tigers. More than 80 years ago, we chose the tiger as our beloved icon, as a symbol of Asia's strength and spirit. Tigers are more than just an emblem of our brand; they symbolise courage, power, and have significant cultural meaning, especially in Asia."
In addition to their hefty donation, Tiger Beer has launched a six-year global partnership with the WWF to raise awareness around the illegal tiger trade through their 3,890 Tigers social media campaign.
Inspired by nature
The campaign centres on selfies using the hashtag #3890Tigers alongside designs by six artists, each from a different part of the world. The artists were commissioned to create interactive selfie backgrounds inspired by tigers.
One of the commissioned artists, Nick Gentry, was particularly inspired by a campaign-sponsored visit to the Serepok Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia. "Growing up in the urban city of London, it was shocking to see an empty forest with absolutely no more tigers left as opposed to a forest alive with tigers just 50 years ago. The time is now for us to save the tigers, and we need to do it together," Gentry tells Creators. "It was a life-changing experience and a vivid reminder that tigers would soon disappear if we do nothing."
Recycled art
Known for his floppy-disk paintings, Gentry works with recycled tech waste and other personal items to comment on consumerism and cyberculture in modern society. "I work a lot with sustainable materials and the art I have created using recycled floppy disks, of my face alongside that of a tiger, is a symbol that modern man, nature, and tiger can live in harmony," he says of his creation for the 3,890 Tigers campaign.
Tiger Beer and the WWF hope that through art they can establish baseline awareness of this global issue. In order to continue supporting the growth of the tiger population, the general public needs to be informed about the illegal tiger trade and fully understand the gravity of a world with only 3,890 tigers left alive in the wild.
"There is power in people coming together," Wong explains. "By sharing the selfie art on social media using the hashtag #3890Tigers, it represents a pledge against illegal tiger trade and a commitment to not purchase products made with tiger parts. It is a simple and quick way for people to raise awareness and help stop illegal tiger trade. All it takes is 30 seconds to make a difference—simply upload their picture, pick an artist, and share their unique selfie art to save wild tigers."
Find out more on the 3,890 Tigers website, and post your selfie using the #3890Tigers hashtag today.
Eyeing the Tiger
Article by Mayo Martin for Channel News Asia
Over at Clarke Quay’s fountain square is 3890Tigers. The collaboration between Tiger Beer and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) features the works of six artists, and encourages the use of social media to pledge their support against illegal tiger trade.
Aside from the onsite exhibition at Clarke Quay, people can also go to the 3890Tigers website to create their own anti-illegal tiger trade selfies for social media. These includes designs based on works by the UK's Nick Gentry, France's Mademoiselle Maurice, China's Hua Tunan, and Russia's Nootk.
For UK artist Nick Gentry, who is presenting a portrait made with recycled 3.5-inch floppy disks, it has been a life-changing experience.
On the tiger trail
Early this month, the 37-year-old went to the Srepok Wildlife Reserve in Cambodia in search of wild tigers. But thanks to poaching, there has been no sighting of tigers for the past decade. Instead, he only saw animal snares.
“It’s 8,000 sq km of forest and it was once perfect for tigers,” recalled Gentry, whose only encounters with the feline giants were in the London Zoo, which he also visited as part of the campaign.
“They have a Sumatran tiger there and it came right up to the glass and looked directly at us. You’re in awe but at the same time, seeing them in that environment feels strange. There are more (tigers) in captivity than in the wild now. It has reached that point.”
Earlier this month, 3890Tigers artists Nick Gentry from the UK and Hua Tunan from China joined Cambodian rangers in burning illegal snares and traps found at the Srepok Wildlife Reserve. While wild tigers previously roamed the jungles of Cambodia, there has been no sighting for the past decade.
The campaign’s title refers to the estimated number of tigers left in the wild as of last year. In 1900, there were about 100,000 tigers in the wild. The sharp decline is now mainly due to the illegal tiger trade, which contributes heavily to the overall wildlife trafficking problem valued at US$20 billion a year.
“We were really shocked (at the wild tiger population) because it’s so low. You can imagine that for poachers, tigers are seen as something for profit,” said Mie-Leng Wong, global director at Tiger Beer, Heineken Asia Pacific.
Raising the wild tiger population
The 3890Tigers campaign is to support Tx2, a multi-government initiative that aims to raise the wild tiger population to 6,000 by 2022.
Aside from the digital art-driven campaign, Tiger Beer is also donating an initial sum of US$1 million as part of its six-year partnership with WWF. And to drive home the point about disappearing tigers, it is also removing the animal’s image in its product for two months, the first time Tiger Beer has done so in its history.
In creating his artwork for 3890Tigers, UK artist Nick Gentry used recycled floppy disks, which either contain text that hint at the illegal tiger trade or his small paintings of tigers.
“If we create a global movement where people pledge not to purchase products with tiger parts, then we’re doing something about the demand on tiger trade. We make it socially unacceptable,” said Wong.
But will creating artistic selfies on social media be enough?
For Gentry, every little bit counts.
“If we make this message powerful enough, there is potential. Yes, there’s a lot of traffic online that’s almost clutter, but this is a real message that people can take offline,” he said.
WWF tiger T-shirt designed by Nick Gentry - available on the Teemill website
Tiger Facts
Status: Endangered
Lifespan: 10 – 20 years
Population: Declined by over 95% in the past 100 years, mainly as a result of poaching. Today, about 3,900 remain in the wild
Scientific name: Panthera tigris
Size: 146 – 300 cm
Weight: 75 – 260 kg; 165 – 570 lbs
Habitat and range: Across Asia in forests, swamps, grasslands and savannas
Diet: Primarily ungulates including deer and wild pigs
Threats: Poaching for the illegal wildlife trade, overhunting of prey species by local people, habitat loss and human-tiger conflict
Find out more about Tigers and other endangered species on the WWF website.