Tiger Taskforce Launched
4:32 PM Tue 7 August, 2007
for richmondfc.com.au
Richmond Football Club has joined forces with Melbourne Zoo in a bid to ensure that tigers don’t disappear from the planet.
When the Zoo opened in 1862, and the Richmond Football Club was formed in 1885, there were eight subspecies of tigers living throughout much of Asia. Since then, however, the world has lost three subspecies, along with much of the tigers’ native habitat.
All five surviving subspecies are now endangered – Sumatran tigers most of all.
Now, Richmond Football Club is stamping its iconic brand on the Melbourne Zoo’s efforts to support Sumatran tiger conservation in the wild, and contribute to a sustainable zoo insurance population within the world’s zoo network.
The new Tiger Taskforce partnership aims to increase community awareness of the critical danger tigers face in the wild, and to raise funds to support projects that would secure the future of all surviving tiger subspecies.
The five Sumatran tigers at Melbourne Zoo are part of an international breeding program managed from London Zoo.
Melbourne Zoo is already a major partner of Flora and Fauna International, which manages an extremely significant habitat protection program in a major national park in Sumatra. Funds raised through the Tiger Taskforce project will enable the current assistance to be expanded further.
Richmond Football Club CEO Steven Wright is confident that Tiger supporters will get right behind the Tiger Taskforce.
“The mascot is so integral to Richmond’s identity and, given its significance, we felt a sense of duty to do whatever we could, to assist with the survival of the tigers in the wild, “ he said. “I’m sure our fans will rally to support such a meaningful cause.”
Zoo Board Chairman Andrew Fairley, who is a former Richmond Football Club Director, welcomes the new community partnership and sees it as a potentially powerful alignment of two Melbourne icons.
“It is very appropriate that two historic organisations, with deep roots in the Victorian community, share such a strong vision of a future where people live in greater harmony with wildlife, protecting the planet’s precious bio-diversity,”’ he said. “We are excited to welcome Richmond into a leadership role in tiger conservation.”
Richmond ruckman Troy Simmonds, a passionate supporter of wildlife conservation, has been appointed the Club’s Tiger Taskforce Ambassador.
To make a donation to the Tiger Taskforce, or to find out more information about the project, call (03) 9285 9314, or go to the Zoos Victoria website:
http://www.zoo.org.au/.
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