The Caspian Tiger Investigation is a unique collaboration between The Tiger Foundation and Boomiran, a leading Iranian environmental NGO. Together, we have launched an unprecedented scientific and historical study into the extinction of the Caspian tiger, an event that is commonly believed to have occurred sometime between the late 1950s and the early 1970s. This project, which is expected to last well into 2001, will involve a remarkable team of scientists from Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

The project team is mandated to make a thorough compilation of historical, scientific, hunting and anecdotal records across the Caspian tiger's former range. We will endeavor to collect as many photographic and cultural images of Caspian tigers as possible. Systematic interviews will also be conducted with people that have come into direct contact with Caspian tigers. Part of our study will include a preliminary field investigation of persistent recent reports of tiger presence in parts of Iran, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan - reports we suspect are of Persian leopards.

The Caspian tiger is almost certainly extinct, but it is our hope that by creating a detailed record of the circumstances of its demise, we will convey a powerful global message in support of nature conservation and biodiversity. At the conclusion of this project, we plan to publish a well-illustrated report of the investigation, and possibly a popularly accessible book that can be distributed internationally; one that will serve as a powerful and lasting reminder of our planet's fragility.

THE CASPIAN TIGER INVESTIGATION