Richmond’s conservation partnership with WWF-Australia has taken a significant step forward with the establishment of an anti-poaching Tiger Patrol Unit (TPU) in Malaysia. 

The establishment of the TPU comes thanks to the generous contribution of Club coterie members Craig Weinert, Michelle Thomas, Russell Telford, Cameron Dunn, Spiro Nikolakakis and Tina Walker.

TPU’s are a critical tool in protecting Tigers in the wild.

Since Richmond Football Club was established in 1885, Tiger numbers in the wild have plummeted by about 95%. That number is now around 4,000 globally, meaning the Tiger is officially recognised as an endangered species.

The plight of the Tiger saw Richmond establish its conservation partnership with WWF-Australia in 2018 and it aims to support efforts to double Tiger numbers in the wild by 2022. Poaching is seen as a significant threat to the species in the jungles of Asia and Russia in particular.

The Tigers’ Tiger Patrol Unit - which consists of five team members - will patrol 1,175 square kilometres in the Belum State Park in Malaysia. It will be one of 15 teams operating in the region which cover around 11,000 km annually. In any given month, a TPU would patrol a block of 100 square kilometres. The patrol units are backed by training, technical expertise and tiger biologists from WWF-Malaysia.                   

Poachers have largely been responsible for a 50% reduction in Tiger numbers in Belum State Park over the past 10 years. It is hopeful the establishment of the TPU’s – including the Tigers For Tigers Patrol will start to reduce that impact significantly by removing snares and disrupting poacher activity.