Earth Week Tip #3: Get Out!

Pay attention to your vistas.

How does going outside help with being green? Well, there are a few, but don't think of it as just being green (or "blue" as I like to call it), think of it as a key to better overall health and yet ANOTHER money saving tip!

People who go out in nature have the tendency to have a better appreciation for the natural world. Not only that, but there is strong evidence that people who have more green spaces around (i.e. parks and gardens) have better cognitive functions, less anxiety, lower blood pressure, can stabalize blood sugar better, and have better immune system functionality.

You may see critters!

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Earth Week!

Baobab, Adansonia sp.

We here at Potspoon! get a little excited about things like Earth Day. It's the little things. So to celebrate, we are posting tips all week long on easy ways you can go blue (or green, even though Earth is predominately water). We are turning it into Earth WEEK! The tips will all be way that you can go evironmentally concious without a drastic lifestyle change or without breaking the bank.. Feel free to post your simple tips on the wall of our Facebook page or Tweet them to us @Potspooners. For right now, some pictures of the amazing species that live on Earth, via Wikimedia Commons.

Rose-tip anemone Condylactis gigantea

Caracal Caracal caracal

Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus



Emperor shrimp Periclimenes imperator



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Local Science

Here in the VI, science based articles seem to be in the news a lot lately. It makes me feel especially nice as a lot of them are (while technically political news) pertaining to the environment.

• The first one I want to talk about is the fact that our current governor is trying to tackle the problem of fossil fuel usage in the VI. As laughable as it may seem, we still burn oil for electricity here. The governor laid out a plan that has the VI reducing usage and using different sources of energy within the next 14 years. While to some of my readers, this may seem like a long time, most of you know that this doesn't seem like enough at all in the Virgin Islands. Some of the renewable energy sources he mentions include solar, waste-to-energy, wind, and landfill gas. 
• Some of the members of the 29th legislature of the Virgin Islands are stalling a measure that would make an Emission Control Area around the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The people stalling are claiming that they knew nothing of this proposal and haven't carefully thought out how it could affect tourism to the VI. Again, this is about their bottom line, and forget the health and safety of the islanders. They have had sufficient time to consider this. I wonder why they are stalling....
• The Caribbean Fishery Management council approved cuts in the amount of parrotfish local fishermen are allowed to take from federal waters. The measure came after preliminary biological opinion showed that parrotfish are vital to a healthy reef ecosystem.
• One of the local hospitals had an open forum and the CEO heard quite the community outcry on how the facility handles dialysis and mental healthcare. Not only does the facility not have any staff psychiatrists, but many of their patients cannot even get dialysis there and have to move to private facilities. The mental healthcare on these islands is deplorable at best. This is something that is near and dear to me and I hate the struggle. It's sad, really.

In the very least, well, for the moment... The VI seems to be incorporating more science related things! Woohoo!

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Waste Water Electricity?

River water and salty ocean water used to generate electricity

Great article. Researcher at Stanford University found a way of converting water (and not even clean water) into electricity. The ScienceDaily article at the link above does a great job of summarizing the research.

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EPA Visits VI

Fig. 1Not related to visit, but they ARE in the VI. :D

The EPA is celebrating their 40th birthday. Part of the celebratory festivities included a visit to the Virgin Islands. The reason for the visit? Well, they help a public conference in St. Croix to talk about air quality in the USVI and to discuss methods of waste reduction, which is an ongoing issue here. Underlying many of the things discussed was the urgent need for job creation and economical effects locally.

The conference brought up two very valid suggestions for waste management in the VI, hoever, true to VI form, instead of viewing the two suggestions as a tag-team effort to better things, it became more of a battle in "one vs. other" style. The two suggestions were a waste to energy project and a reduce-reuse initiative. They were brought to the table by Alpine Energy Group and Dr. Paul Connett, author of "Zero Waste for Sustainability," respectively. To quote the Virgin Islands Daily News article:

In the first discussion of the day, it was clear where the people stood.

Reduce, reuse vs. waste-to-energy

As the two presenters each approached the podium separately, it was clear by the audience reaction that they favored Paul Connett, the author of "Zero Waste for Sustainability" over those who represented Alpine Energy Group's waste-to-energy project.

While healthy and respectable applause was offered the Alpine representatives, Connett received a loud ovation.

Connett's position was that, through education and community buy-in, the territory can expect to divert a large percentage of waste from its landfills within 18 months.

The idea, which is similar to that being promoted by the EPA's V.I. Recycling Partnership initiative, is to reduce the amount of waste produced while increasing the amount that is reused through recycling and composting.

At the end of it all, though, it was clear that the people of the VI are very aware that something needs to be done. The EPA made is stance clear, as well, informing of the measure taken to reduce cruise ship emissions between islands. This is important for us as mroe cruise ships visit St. Thomas more than any other Caribbean port. THere will be new requirements placed on HOVENSA as well. There was a consent decree filed by the EPA agaisnt HOVENSA require upgrades to reduce emissions. WHy are these things so important to a small island territory? To quote EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck, "More cruise ships visit St. Thomas than any other place in the Caribbean. By protecting your land, your air, your water, you will ensure that tourists will come back."


To read the details of the visit, read the article at Virgin Islands Daily News and to see what the EPA has succeeded in doing the past 40 years, click here.

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There's A New Fly on the Wall!

I’m all for science improving the life of humanity, but at what cost? Recently in Malaysia 6,000 genetically altered male mosquitoes were released into the wild. The Malaysian government claims that their efforts were to decrease the spread of dengue, a disease spread by female mosquitoes that killed in Asia an estimated 136 people last year.

The current solution being presented is that if scientists can genetically alter the life spans of mosquito, then they won’t live long enough to spread the disease or infect anyone. The problem with this scenario is that the genetically modified traits could spread to other insects resulting in a shortage of food for birds, bats, frog and other animals to eat. Essentially it would be a food chain disaster.

However Malaysia is not the first to try this tactic. An experiment much similar to this one was done in the Cayman Islands from May to October of 2010.

Oxitec, an Oxford-based research firm released sterile male mosquitoes into the wild. By August of 2010 the number of mosquitoes in the test area had dropped by 80%. The Oxitec scientists argue that because the sterile traits won’t be passed “this method will have no permanent ecological impact.” The claim is that the genetically altered males will act better at thinning the mosquito population that insecticides ever could while also reducing the amount of toxins being released into the environment.

Just so you know, dengue isn’t the only disease that mosquitoes pass on to humans and animals. The Malaria parasite is also a big one. Check out this article on how Scientists at the University of Arizona have successfully bred genetically modified mosquitoes that are 100 percent resistant to the malaria parasite, rendering the mosquito incapable of infecting humans with malaria.

What do you think PotSpooners? Do you want genetically altered mosquitoes in your neighborhood if it could mean fewer deaths, or do you want to just let Mother Nature and natural selection to continue doing their thing?

Refrences (Because I'm a geek like that XD)

 

Dillow, Clay. "Malaysia Releases 6,000 Genetically Modified Mosquitoes into the Wild Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-01/malaysia-releases-6000-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-wild.

Ferreira, Becky. "What Could Possibly Go Wrong: Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-01/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-genetically-modified-mosquitoes.

Schiffman, Lizzie. "For The First Time, Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Are Released Into The Wild Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 12 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/mutant-mosquitoes-nearly-wipe-out-their-population-and-diseases-they-carry.

Schmidt, Laurie J.. "Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Are 100 Percent Resistant to Malaria Parasite Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 15 July 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-07/genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-are-100-percent-resistant-malaria-parasite.

 

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Peanut Butter and Jelly for the World

As any long time readers of my blog may know, I love food. I especially love being able to mix food with science... hence my affinity for all things Alton Brown. Imagine the giddy feeling I got when I stumbled across the PB&J Campaign.

The PB&J campaign is an online effort to educate consumers and promote plant-based meals like the beloved peanut butter and jelly sandwich. While I am not vegetarian, plant-based meals do make up a large portion of my eating habits. Having a PB&J instead of a burger, for example, can save up to 3.5 pounds of carbon dioxide and save approximately 280 gallons of water. That is not even mentioning the land saved.

Cutting back on meat from an environmental standpoint is not a new concept. This extends to fish and poultry as well. Many fish people consume are caught or farmed in less than savory ways. Because of this, I am a HUGE proponent of Seafood Watch. I carry the cards and have the site saved on my phone for quick referencing when at the store or out to eat. Beef, however, is a little more tricky and harder to come by in a sustainable way. In fact, in 2006, the UN declared cattle farming as the number one contributor to climate change. Cattle rearing is also a factor in water quality degradation. To quote the article:

The livestock business is among the most damaging sectors to the earth’s increasingly scarce water resources, contributing among other things to water pollution from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and the pesticides used to spray feed crops.

On a lighter note, though... just by changing a few meals a week to plant and veggie based can make an impact. PB&J is a great start to that. According to the PB&J Campaign website:

If you have a PB&J instead of a red-meat lunch like a ham sandwich or a hamburger, you shrink your carbon footprint by almost 3.5 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

So go out and save the earth one peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a time!

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Year of Biodiversity and Tiger Updates

UN's International Year of Biodiversity is really taking off. Besides educating about biodiversity, there is a PUMA ad campaign, constant press releases, inspiring stories of people and groups doing what they can to promote a healthy world, and so much more! They are even partnering with WWF to promote Earth Hour, which is coming soon.

The website is loaded with all kinds of informative videos, podcasts, photos, and other goodies designs to inspire and educate. There is even a calendar with all the events that are going on for this year. Truly, UNEP has done a fabulous job with trying to get the message out there.

On the other end, the WWF year of the tiger isn't doing so bad either! They are constantly releasing articles on the fight for the tiger like this one about Chinese medicine societies rejecting tiger bones. This is a very big step to conserving these amazing creatures.

So between learning about awesome animals here on Potspoon!, reading up on biodiversity, learning about tigers and how you can help, and the upcoming Earth Hour, how have you been impacting your world?

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The Cost of Coltan

Coltan is something you may not have heard of. This is surprising because it is around you more than you think. It is a metallic or used in the production of capacitors... primarily the kind used in cell phones, video game systems, and laptops. Coltan is mined by hand in the Democratic Republic of Congo. If you remember some of my other posts, this is where many of the protected gorillas live. In fact, the mines are located in rebel-controlled areas in the National Parks. Not only that, but coltan is in incredibly high demand as we get more connected as a global market, making it valuable to both sides of the fight occurring in DRC. Some organizations and analysts have even gone so far as to state that coltan is at the center of this conflict because, besides being an ethnic war, it is also a war over resources.

Since the conflict began in 1998, many farmers were pushed off their land and sought jobs in the mines. In order to access more of the mines, they have gotten rid of valuable habitat and have killed off African elephants and eastern lowland gorillas. Both are protected species, but with a lack of serious funding and visibility in the media, there is only so much the park rangers can do. There is, however, something WE can do.

When many people get new cell phones or new electronics, they simply throw the old one away.Most people don't realize that many of the electronic devices are recyclable or reusable. Many companies will refurbish older units for resale or actually break down the pieces into it's components and use the raw materials in making something new. The EPA has an entire section of their site devoted to recycling electronics.

Many of the cell phone companies will simply take any old phones and parts. Big chain stores like Staples and Best Buy also have electronics recycling. If you don't have any of those around, call your local waste management. Chances are, they have an electronics collection program.

If we can reduce the demand for coltan, we can reduce the impact that its mining has had on some really amazing creatures.

You can find out more about coltan here.

Picture of the gorilla by nailbender on Flickr and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Remember, you can find out more about gorillas by click the link at the top of the page or by visiting Year of the Gorilla.

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The Cost of Conservation

It seems everywhere you look these days, someone is touting a new easy way to be green. These pushes to be green seem to crop up once every 15 years or so. Just think back to the early 90's when Captain Planet ruled the airwaves and everyone wanted to be an eco-warrior. I even had a Little Archie comic where he started recycling at his school and roller-bladed as many places as he could. McDonald's gave out tree seedlings with their meals. I got paid for my cans. Then it disappeared for a bit it seemed.

There were those of us that never backed down from being "tree-huggers" but most everyone else dropped it like it was a passing trend. This green trend, probably to do with the plethora of information (and misinformation) at our fingertips, seems to be taking a stronger hold.

While many people seem to really want to make a difference, there are still lots of people that feel that certain things are more of a headache than it's worth. Remembering to carry extra bags to the store is something everyone tries to do and most fail at. A clip on bag helps. Buying 100% recycled toilet paper is a little more expensive and a bit unrealistic during these hard economic times. Contributing to the WWF or the NWF is not an option for those pinching pennies.

Besides this, there are the actual impacts of what some supposed "green" ideas actually have on the environment. Certain things which save trees, like online bill pay, seem like an easy way to be green and you do save a lot of trees, but using the internet does leave a carbon footprint. Google was very upfront about how much energy their searches consume, but look at the numbers and think of how many thousands of searches you have done. It's not much, but it adds up quickly. So what can you do about that?

I am not saying throw your computer out by ANY means... I practically live on mine... but there are options. Love Google? Try Blackle. Same Google search power, just dark. Believe it or not, having a black website saves energy. It is SUPER negligible, but again, when there are literally millions of searches a second going on, it adds up pretty fast.

Another green idea that seems to be a bit misguided are green rallies. I am all for getting people together to educate. I love that sort of thing. But come on guys. Paper flyers everywhere, disposable goods... honestly, the amount of trash produced is a bit ironic. Keep it small. It's more intimate and usually makes more of an impact.

Recycling has it's merits as well, but be warned: just because it seems recyclable doesn't mean it is. While recycling is up over all, many people are required to sort through the recyclables to take out things you can't recycle but are in there anyway. There is also the economic view point of it not being very economically sound since the demand for recyclable materials is down. Shame. While this would deter most people (more and more work) there is hope. If it's greasy and food covered, throw it in your food waste. It will compost. Bills and the like, still recyclable.

So what is the point of this post? It is just to make you aware. Think about things. You may mean well, but may do some harm in the process. You shouldn't go green to brag about what you have done and get credit for it, it is a real lifestyle choice. You just should always know that EVERYTHING we do has an impact, and that is okay. Don't stress on it too much. A lot of the impact we do have when living green is something nature can work with and use for something else. It's a balance. It will work out. It's just nice knowing you did what you could. Every little bit DOES count and it adds up quickly.

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Earth Hour

So I put a banner up at the top of the page. It is for the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) campaign to turn the lights out for 60 minutes. One hour your local time starting at 8:30pm. What is the point? Well, lights out always saves energy and if most of the people on a grid do this, that is a SIGNIFICANT savings. Mostly, however, it is a statement, a rally if you will, that you too want a better understanding of and solutions to climate change.

Last year there were iconic buildings like the Sydney Opera House who shut their lights out. This year entire cities are devoted. They are turning lights out in all the city buildings. Las Vegas and Hong Kong are on the list. Many high schools around the country are also participating and people are having various functions and power-free parties. There are even kids getting involved and doing their part.

The site above links to the UK WWF site. The US site didn't have as many tips but you can find it here. Even if you don't participate, it's nice to have a lights out hour anyway. Living in St. Thomas, it happens anyway as WAPA (Water and Power Authority) is not exactly reliable. The hubs and I are going to have a fancy candlelit dinner followed by a long walk with Floyd, I think. The easiest way to participate is to just go to bed early! To participate or to find out more, visit any of the websites. Are you participating in Earth Hour? What are your plans for the dark?

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Ocean Acidification

The threat of ocean acidification is getting some attention recently. Many marine scientists (more than 150) from all over the world are asking policy-makers to take this threat very seriously and find a way to reduce CO2 emissions. According to these scientists, the acidification is already detectable and is rapidly accelerating. How does CO2 in the atmosphere cause ocean acidification?

The ocean absorbs a lot of the gas and it is dissolved and converted to carbonic acid. According to Oceana, this acid destroys many shells and layers on animals that are key to ecosystem survival. The acid breaks down these calcium carbonate shells.

Not only does the CO2 affect animals with calcium carbonate shells, but animals like squid that require a lot of oxygen will not be able to absorb as much. Acidity in the ocean also affects the squid’s blood acidity.

The oceans pH has already dropped from 8.16 to 8.05 since the late 1980’s. There is some evidence that this drastic change in pH will also hamper the development of various marine larvae.

What can you do to help? Besides lowering the amount of CO2 you personally produce, you can write policy makers. Let people know. Talk to others about how lovely the ocean is. Remind them how important it is and how much of our oxygen comes from the ocean.

Off my little soapbox. Sorry. I get carried away.

You can find the source here.

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Positive Effects of Global Warming

Okay, I know what you are thinking... there is NOTHING positive about global warming. Well, you are wrong. It's all in how you look at things. In a brilliantly written opinion piece at the BBC website, Russell Mittermeier points out that our very serious climate change issue has rallied together people from all walks of life, of very different backgrounds and united them for a common good. The animals in danger of extinction no longer just have a few "weirdo hippies" to look out for them, now almost everyone is! There is strength in numbers and now, more than ever, are people trying to change how they impact the world ecologically. This is a good thing. So there really is a silver lining to all of this... This gives me a little more hope.

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Endangered Species Act Update

The National Wildlife Federation posted a video on their blog about the Endangered Species Act and why it is so important. You may remember I did a previous post as a call to action for everyone. Well, in case you missed it the first time.... Go. Write. Letters. Now. This is dreadfully important in so many way and the video does a better job of describing what I tried to... I am not good at putting things in easy to understand terms. I'm working on it. In the meantime, make sure we keep our protected lands protected. Thanks.

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Bush Wants to Change the Endangered Species Act

In his last few months in office, it seems our president wants it to be known that he really doesn't care about the environment at all. In his latest attempt to destroy all things green, he is trying to change the Endangered Species Act of 1973. This act not only allows for the formation of an Endangered Species list, but also requires that recovery plans be drawn in the event of a badly endangered animal and forces the Federal Government to "not authorize" any plans that would hinder the recovery of a species. This last part is the part that our dear Commander-in-Chief wants to change. Scientists are up in arms over this calling the proposal "bad science." So, what, pray tell, do we do? Well, the public comment period ends mid-September, so whatever it is we have to do it fast. Go write letters now. That is what I am doing. That's all I can do... otherwise we can kiss our beautiful endangered species (like our reefs and wild horses) and protected lands goodbye.











This work by Marizela Moya is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

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Rainy Day

It finally rained today. I'm happy because our island has had a bit of a dry spell. Our cisterns filled up a bit this morning and out plants got some much needed love. It's strange how after a good rain you can hear the plants growing. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure. A bit of a break from thinking about science. There is lots of science involved in this process, but I rather enjoy the scenery a bit more.


The Guanabana (Sour Sop) tree seemed to really enjoy it

Papayas too...

If only I could reach those mangoes!





rainy day pictures by
Marizela Moya is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

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About St. Thomas

In case you haven't figured it out, I live in St. Thomas, VI. We are a part of the United States just located in the Caribbean. The Caribbean (for all us science types) is a tectonic plate all its own and the collision and interaction of this little plate with other larger ones is how the Antilles were formed. Because our islands with the rest of the ones in the Caribbean form a chain that acts as a barrier for the fierce Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea is calm and tranquil pretty much consistently.

View from Annaburg Plantation, St. John. Copyright 2007 M. Moya

Pretty, I know. It's not just the scenery that is nice, or the trade winds that keep the temperature mild. Below the surface is a bunch of really beautiful reef. The reefs in the Caribbean are predominately 70 different species of reef building coral, a ton of sponges, crustaceans (think crab and shrimp), mollusks (think escargot and clams)and various other invertebrates. They are also home to hundreds upon hundreds of species of fish, turtles, and other chordates (more on that some other time).

Reef, Gorgonian, and Bait Fish Highway. Lerkenlund, St. Thomas. Copyright 2006 M. Moya.

On land we have some interesting critters as well. About 2,000 species of bug and insects (that includes really pretty butterflies and amazing rhinoceros beetles) also call St. Thomas home as do numerous other types of animals like wild donkeys, deer, boar (although not so much on St. Thomas as St. John now-a-days), iguana, birds a plenty, bats, mongoose, snakes, chickens (they deserve a separate listing than birds) and lots of other fauna.

Iguana in Papaya Tree. Bonne Resolution, St. Thomas. Copyright 2006 M. Moya.

With all this we are still having our problems. Due to over development (living here seems to be prime real estate), our native plants are disappearing and animal habitat is all but gone in places. The snakes are all but gone, we are having a heck of a time breeding the local butterflies as most of the host plants are being removed, the parrots aren't coming back like they should... the list goes on. With all the beautiful scenery and natural environments, it's a shame we can't focus our tourism around this a bit more. Granted there are lots of dive spots, but what of our mangroves and tropical dry forest? What of the gallery forests in out "guts" (guts are temporary waterfalls where freshwater drains off the bedrock)? I think people would want to see this. Maybe it's just me.

Me and my doggy on the beach at Lerkenlund. Copyright 2006 M. Moya.

I enjoy finding the few place left here that haven't been developed, where the runoff from the building hasn't destroyed the reefs, the parrots still sing, and the mangroves are uninterrupted. I love it here, and I think everyone who comes here on vacation should support eco-tourism and the University, so our local government can see what people really enjoy is the pristine.

All Photos by Marizela Moya are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

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The New Environmentally-Friendly (?!?!) Plastic

This photo is from the USDA and is therefore public domain.

There is a new plastic (well not that new) on the market and it's gaining popularity. This plastic is made from corn and touts its biodegradability. The material is polylactic acid and it has been known about for over a century. It is only now gaining popularity due to another wave (similar to the early 90's) of eco-consciousness.

While this new plastic does have a few things going for it (a renewable resource and, in principle, compostable) there are a few things a lot of people haven't really studied or answered.

The pros:

• Regular plastics use an average of 200,000 barrels of oil a day to produce our demand
• Corn is a renewable resource and the plants help offset the amount of carbon produced in the plastic's manufacture
• Plastics take up 25% of dumps by volume
  
• PLA (polylactic acid) is compostable within 3 months at a controlled composting facility
• It costs less than $1.00 to make a pound of PLA (see here)
• Generates less air pollution to make
  

The cons:

• PLA takes much longer to compost in a bin or even in a landfill
• There are only 113 controlled compost facilities nationwide... only a quarter of these facilities accept residential scraps
• PLA must be kept separate from other plastics to keep it from tainting their recycling process
• Estimates for this breaking down in landfills are anywhere between 100 and 1,000 years (see here)
• Cannot survive temperatures of 114 degrees Fahrenheit
  

Possible cons (of the controversial type)

• Made of highly genetically modified food
• Is using a food product to make non-food stuffs while people are going hungry
• Still supports single use and disposables still adding to landfills

So it seems that the pros and cons are evenly matched and there are some controversial issues that are brought up... but I guess at least it is a start in the right direction. At least there is a push for biodegradable containers.

The biggest manufacturer of PLA in North America is NatureWorks. Go check out the website and tell me what you think!

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Horrid Tiger News and Tiger Info

So in an article I found on the BBC, Researchers at 2 different animal parks in China were offered tiger wine. This is pretty much tiger, yes ferocious, growly, cute, stripy tiger, soaked in rice wine. Despite a ban on poaching and using tigers for goods, numbers are still declining. You can read more here.

Since I found this article, I will talk about tigers for a bit.

Scientific Name: Panthera tigris

This cat is the largest of the cats. There are 8 subspecies of tiger; 3 of which are already extinct. No two tigers have the same stripe pattern. They are as unique as a humans fingerprints. The last wild white tiger was seen in the 1950's. It was a cub and became the "father" of all white tigers in captivity. White tigers are usually larger at birth and adulthood, probably a genetic trait allowing better chance for survival despite their coloration. However, due to inbreeding in captivity, birth defects are emerging. They are inbred because this trait is in high demand.

Behavior
Tigers are a bit strange in that, unlike all other cats, they LOVE water and are very strong swimmers. They are also very solitary except for a mother with cubs. They are very territorial.

Reproduction
Females are only receptive for a few days and in these days mating is very heavy. Gestation is only 16 weeks and cubs are about 2 pounds when born.

There is tons of information online on how we can help save these big cats. There are only about 7,500 of them left in the wild.

A great video to watch is Kingdom of the Tiger, an IMAX film.

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