Celebrating International Tiger Day With Preschoolers
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International Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29th to raise global awareness about the danger of extinction of these fantastic cats are facing and to encourage people to participate in conservationists’ efforts to protect them and their natural habitat to ensure their survival.
You will find the free 21-page International Tiger Day pack at the end of this post to help you celebrate this day with your preschoolers, teach them about these incredible cats, and instill in them a love for these animals and a desire to be their protectors.
History of International Tiger Day
This special day was established in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit, hosted by Vladimir Putin, which gathered leaders from thirteen countries where tigers live. The leaders were concerned about the alarming rate at which tiger populations were declining and aimed to double their population by 2022.
Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, made it his mission to save the Amur tiger, which is on the brink of extinction, and signed laws to severely punish every person who gets involved in poaching, illegal trade, transportation, or keeping tigers in captivity in Russia, with long incarcerations.
International Tiger Day and the conservation efforts of organizations, conservation groups, and countries are crucial in informing people about the situation in which these cats find themselves and promoting international collaboration to save tigers from extinction. This is mainly because, despite years of conservation efforts, tigers remain endangered.
Organizations Protecting the Tigers
There are numerous organizations, governments, conservation groups, and international agreements working to protect tigers and other endangered species. Some of them are:
- National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA): This statutory body in India was established in December 2005 and is responsible for the “Tiger Project” initiative, aimed at strengthening tiger conservation within the country.
- Project Tiger: An ongoing initiative in India, focused on protecting tiger habitats, monitoring populations, and addressing human-wildlife conflict.
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF): This organization works globally to protect tigers and their habitats, focusing on anti-poaching efforts, habitat connectivity, and community engagement.
- Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS): This organization provides technical support for the conservation of tigers, including protected area creation and law enforcement support. Their goal is to “multiply thriving populations of tigers across their range and in all the habitats in which they are found.”
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): The focus of this international agreement globally prohibits the trade of live tigers or their parts.
- David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF): This organization focuses on protecting wild tigers in Asia by funding conservation projects and combating wildlife crime.
- Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA): This association is part of the Wildlife Trafficking Alliance, a coalition of more than 80 nonprofit organizations, leading companies, zoos, and aquariums united to reduce the purchase and sale of illegal tiger products.
- International Tiger Project (ITP): This project was established in 2010 by Wildlife Conservation International, a multinational non-profit organization, to gather funds for conservation projects across Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
- International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW): This organization is one of the world’s largest animal welfare and conservation charities. Its purpose is to rescue tigers, safeguard their populations, preserve their habitat, and advocate for their protection.**
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute: This organization supports efforts to combat poaching and illegal trade, reduce human-wildlife conflict, improve habitat management, and enhance breeding programs for tigers.
- Global Tiger Initiative (GTI): Is a global alliance founded by the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Smithsonian Institution, Save the Tiger Fund, and the International Tiger Coalition (representing more than 40 non-government organizations), launched in 2008, to save wild tigers from extinction.
Facts About Tigers
- Tigers are the largest wild cats in the world.
- According to the subspecies, adult tigers can weigh between 200 and 800 pounds and measure six to ten feet long from head to tail. The largest is the Amur (Siberian) tiger, and the smaller is the Sumatran tiger.
- They have powerful legs, and one swipe can break bones or even kill a person or an animal.
- Tigers’ canines can grow up to 3 inches long, and their saliva is antiseptic, which can help prevent infections.
- Tigers are carnivores. They eat any prey that comes their way, such as deer, wild pigs, rodents, bears, antelope, rhinos, crocodiles, birds, buffalo, fish, and other tigers.
- Tigers prefer to hunt alone and at night. Using their stripe camouflage, they hide behind bushes, quietly stalking their prey and pouncing from behind, then biting it on the neck or the back of the head to kill it.
- Tigers love to lie down in pools or streams to cool off, and they can swim for hours, even kill prey in the water.
- Tigers’ roar can be heard as far as three kilometers away.
- They mark their territory with urine, which smells like buttered popcorn.
- Their strong legs enable them to reach speeds of up to 65km/h at full speed, but only for short distances.
- Tigers’ stripes are unique. This means that each tiger has a unique pattern different from any other tiger. Another interesting fact is that they also have stripes on their skin.
- Most tigers are orange with black stripes, but some rare Bengal tigers are white with black stripes. These tigers are not albinos. They have a recessive gene, a condition that reduces pigmentation.
- Tigers are mammals. Babies are born blind, and most of them die of hunger or cold, and male tigers eat some.
- Males are called tigers, females are called tigresses, and babies are called cubs.
- A group of a tigress and her cubs is called a streak of tigers and a group of adult tigers is called an ambush of tigers.
- They can also mate with other big cats, and have hybrids like a tigon, which is the offspring of a tiger and a lioness, and the liger, which is the offspring of a lion and a tigress.
- They live up to 25 years whether they are kept in captivity or in the wild. However, most die before the age of 20.
- There were eight subspecies of tigers. Three of them, the Caspian, Bali and Javan, are already extinct. The remaining five, the Bengal tiger, South China tiger, Indochinese tiger, Sumatran tiger and Amur tiger (also known as Siberian tiger), are on the brick of extinction.
- Tigers are facing many major threats. Among those we can mention habitat loss access routes, human settlements, plantations, and agriculture, climate change, inbreeding, hunting, and conflicts with humans. However, but the biggest threads are poaching and the illegal trade, due to the demand for their bone, skin, and other body parts, which have caused a monumental impact on their population, resulting in localized extinctions.
How to Celebrate International Tiger Day
There are many different ways that you, your family, your preschoolers, and their families can celebrate International Tiger Day and get involved in the efforts that organizations and conservationists are doing to protect these animals. These are some ideas:
- Learn about the tiger and teach them to your preschoolers and everybody you know. The more you learn, the better informed you will become and more capable of spreading the word.
- Show videos and documentaries about tigers to your preschoolers, family, and friends so they can learn about these beautiful creatures and become their advocates. You can find some good ones on YouTube, like Tiger Facts for Kids, Tigers for Little Ones, and Tigers for Kids.
- Invite your children, and maybe them with their families, to do an art project about tigers, and prepare an exhibition for people to see.
- Invite your preschoolers to dress as tiger or with tiger-inspired clothes on International Tiger Day, and have a parade around the school or your neighborhood.
- Share facts about tiger, their habitats, the importance of sustaining healthy ecosystems, the danger of extinction they are facing, and how to help in your social media channels, and invite your followers to symbolic adopt a tiger, to help its conservation. Some organizations that support these adoptions are the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the David Shepher Wildlife Foundation (DSWF), and the International Tiger Project (ITP).
- Create a community outreach or fundraising project to collect funds to be donated to an organization protecting these big cats, such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and the International Tiger Project (ITP).
- Support programs that are fighting against the illegal trade and poaching of leopards and other endangered species by volunteering, signing petitions to create or modify laws, or getting information and becoming a voice on their behalf.
Tiger-related Books
Many books, both fictional and nonfiction, address tigers. Below are some of my favorites. You can find books about these great cats at your local library, used bookstore, and Amazon. I added my Amazon links by clicking on the titles to make it easier for you to get to the right page.
- All Things Tigers for Kids byAnimal Reads is a non-fiction colorful book filled with amazing real-life images and plenty of incredible facts and topics ranging from their history, evolution, characteristics, diet, and life cycle of tiger.
- Explore My World: Tigers combines unforgettable photography and easy to understand language to teach little kids all about tigers, including their social behavior, communication, diet, and playtime.
- The Secret Life of a Tiger by Przemyslaw Wechterowicz is a funny, warm-hearted picture book about the unexpected and secret hobby a tiger has at night, which reminds us that sometimes animals (and people) behave in unexpected ways.
- Who’s the Beast by Keith Baker talks about a friendly tiger who is confused by jungle animals fleeing from a beast, until he discovers he is the beast.
- Daniel Goes to School by Becky Friedman is a sweet story about a little tiger who is excited to go to school, but he’s not happy that his dad can’t stay with him. Daniel learns that “grown-ups come back” and has lots of fun with his teacher and classmates.
- Moving to the Neighborhood by Alexandra Cassel is a perfect story for anyone who is moving to a new city or wants to be a good neighbor, using Daniel Tiger who helps a new neighbor feel right at home.
- It’s a Tiger by David LaRochelle is a lively read-aloud picture book, perfect for acting out while reading, and offers just the right amount of excitement without being too scary, and a sweet ending with a bit of a twist.
- Daniel Goes to the Dentist by Alexandra Cassel help children be a little more comfortable going to the dentist, using the sweet little character, Daniel Tiger.
Pit It for Later
If you are in a rush and don’t have time to read the post and download the printable but want to save it for later, pin it to one of your Pinterest boards.
This International Tiger Day, make a vow to teach your children everything you can about these amazing mammals so they can become their protectors and advocates. This way, future generations can enjoy them, and we all can have balanced ecosystems where all species thrive.
I hope you enjoy these ideas and that they help you have fun during the International Tiger Day celebration with your preschoolers. To get the FREE pack, you just have to click on the link below and enter your information for an immediate download.
Be happy, safe, and creative. I wish you well.
Love,
P.D. Please let me know how this celebration went, what ideas you used, and which ones you came up with. I would like to know how I can help you better.
