A 'tiger trail' has opened in Singapore, supporting tiger conservation.
As we settle into the Year of the Tiger, an island-wide ‘tiger trail’ has opened in Singapore.
The World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore is behind The AR-mazing Tiger Trail 2022, a three-part trail focusing on tiger conservation. The route, which runs throughout Singapore, uses art to educate and spark discussion, not just about the plight of tigers, but also other environmental issues facing the planet.
Thirty-three life-sized tiger sculptures decorated by internationally-acclaimed artists will be exhibited along the trail, which runs until April 9, popping up in venues including Gardens by the Bay, Jewel Changi, National Gallery and Sentosa.
Each sculpture will offer a perspective on how climate change, poaching and deforestation are threatening tigers in the wild. Quizzes and Instagram augmented reality filters can be unlocked at each sculpture to further explore these issues.
“WWF-Singapore’s AR-mazing Tiger Trail was curated to encourage fun and creative discussions and promote education on vital issues facing the wild tiger population today,” said WWF-Singapore’s chief executive officer, Raghu Raghunathan. “We are delighted to work with the incredible artists and partners on the AR-mazing Tiger Trail. I cannot wait to see our community interact with the Tiger Trail, physically and virtually, to learn more about the plight of these beautiful, culturally iconic species.”
At the beginning of the 20th century, around 100,000 tigers roamed the planet. Today, that figure has shrunk to just 3,900. In Southeast Asia, wild tigers have disappeared in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in the last 25 years and the Malayan tiger could become extinct within our lifetime. WWF supports work in the forest habitats that are home to the world’s remaining tigers, bringing additional benefits such as preventing drought, reducing flooding and mitigating climate change as well as supporting myriad other species that also call tiger landscapes home, such as Asian elephants, orangutans and Asian rhinos.
In conjunction with the trail, a series of artists-in-residence workshops will run, with mask-painting, tee-shirt decorating and pottery-making classes. Further workshops will cover skills such as terrarium making, coffee grounds upcycling and more and a portion of ticket prices will be donated to the tiger trail cause.
And between April 12 and 26, Sotheby’s will launch an online auction offering art collectors from around the world the opportunity to bid on the trail’s life-sized sculptures.
Members of the public can further help the WWF-Singapore cause by adopting a tiger. Adoptions help strengthen community efforts in tiger landscapes, safeguarding habitats and advocating for effective forest management. Tiger Protectors will receive updates from the field as well as invitations to meet conservation and research specialists.
Trail maps and more information can be found online. A range of specially designed Tiger Trail merchandise is also available from WWF-Singapore’s e-shop, with proceeds helping to further WWF-Singapore’s tiger conservation work.
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