Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night...
These are the opening lines of an English poem that was written over 200 years ago. It describes the great power and beauty of the tiger. This amazing animal can weigh up to 360 kilograms and run at over 60 kilometers an hour. Its roar can be heard three kilometers away, yet it can be as quiet as a mouse. Tigers are skillful hunters, so why are there so few of them now? More than 100,000 tigers lived in the forests, mountains, and marshes of Asia when this poem was written. At present, there are only about 3,900 in the wild.
Human behavior, of course, is what has put tigers on the list of endangered animals. People have caused tiger numbers to decrease through hunting and destruction of their natural habitats. Killing tigers is no longer legal, but it still occurs. Their beautiful coats are highly valued on some black markets, and their body parts are used to make traditional medicine. What's more, as human populations have grown, tigers have been forced out of their habitats. Where they now live covers a much smaller area. In fact, it is just seven percent of what it was 100 years ago.
Conservation organizations have been trying hard to protect tigers. Most countries where tigers are found have established nature reserves, and the World Wildlife Fund has set a goal of doubling the number of tigers in the wild by 2022. The tiger is still in danger of extinction, however. In fact, ordinary people can help by donating money and refusing to buy their body parts. We must all contribute what we can if we want this glorious king of the forest to carry on "burning bright" in the future.
老虎，老虎，熊熊地燃燒
在黑夜的森林裡...
這是在兩百多年前寫的一首英文詩開頭。它描述了老虎的力與美。這種令人驚豔的動物可以重達三百六十公斤，奔跑的時速超過六十公里。牠的吼聲可以在三公里外聽到，卻也可以安靜得像老鼠一樣。老虎是狩獵高手，那麼為什麼現有的數量卻如此之少？寫這首詩時，有超過十萬隻老虎生活在森林、山嶺和亞洲的沼澤地區。目前，野外只剩下大約三千九百隻老虎。
老虎名列瀕危動物的榜單，人類的行為當然是罪魁禍首。人們經由獵捕和破壞自然棲息地，造成老虎的數量減少。獵殺老虎不再合法，但仍時而發生。牠們美麗的毛皮在一些黑市售價不菲，而其身體部位被用來製作傳統藥材。而且隨著人口數不斷成長，老虎已經被迫離開牠們的棲息地了。牠們現在生活的涵蓋面積小了許多。事實上，只有一百年前的百分之七。
保育組織一直致力於保護老虎。大多數有發現老虎的國家都設立了自然保護區，此外世界自然基金會設定目標，要在 2022 年讓野生老虎的數量增加一倍。然而，老虎仍然面臨滅絕的危險。其實，一般人可以捐款並拒絕購買老虎的身體部位來協助老虎復育。如果我們希望這美麗的森林之王未來能持續閃耀「熊熊的光芒」，我們就必須盡己所能。
