Tiger Day
Tiger Day turned Vladivostok into a parade of orange and black as thousands gathered to honor the Amur tiger. Since 2000, the city has marked the last weekend of September with music, costumes, and performances aimed at raising awareness of conservation.
Children painted tiger faces, dancers filled the streets, and schools marched in celebration. Officials and NGOs stressed the importance of public support for the Amur tiger, whose population has recovered from the brink of extinction. Today, around 750 survive in Russia’s Far East, mostly in Primorye and Khabarovsk.
Festivals like Tiger Day may strengthen cultural pride, but they cannot offset the threats of poaching, illegal logging, and shrinking habitats. Unless governments back awareness with strict protection, numbers will fall again. Celebrations are reminders, not solutions. Real survival depends on tackling tiger habitat destruction and organized crime. Still, keeping tigers visible in public life builds the foundation for the political will their protection demands.
The Tiger Day article:
Based on Xinhua, China.
Photo via Xinhua.
