I’m riding in a big old bus full of delegates to the high-level segment of the Global Tiger Forum Summit.
Heavy snow. Police escort.
North Korea has just fired on a South Korean island. It’s all over the news.
Will it blow tigers off the agenda of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, our host, and the other international leaders and heads of state due to meet this afternoon?
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And what do we expect the meeting to deliver for tigers? Very little new has been put forward so far. General expressions of hope for tigers — but no significant additional funding, few clear plans. Where are the actions, the budgets, the clear objectives that tigers so urgently need?
Maybe this afternoon will be more than a set piece. Maybe Putin, the World Bank, India, China and the other nations attending have some cards left to play. Maybe someone will openly call on China to stop breeding tigers for their parts — maybe we can stop the deadly demand for tigers. Maybe, but who knows.
The snow makes the world seem fresh and clean. But will we see a brave new world for tigers? Or will it be relentlessly gray?
Blogging off
Will