Discovery & WWF Align in Conservation Initiative

SAN FRANCISCO/SINGAPORE: Discovery Communications and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are working together to help conserve nearly 1 million acres of protected habitat in India and Bhutan to safeguard and increase the wild tiger population.

Discovery’s sponsorship of this landscape, in which WWF has been a conservation partner with the governments of India and Bhutan, will allow rangers to more closely monitor tigers’ health and other key scientific data. It will also implement additional anti-poaching safeguards and maintain land and corridors to improve movement of all wild animals. The initiative is dubbed Project C.A.T.: Conserving Acres for Tigers.

Discovery will create original public-service announcements and in-program content tied to Project C.A.T. to drive awareness and encourage viewers around the globe to take action to support wild tigers. Discovery has put into development a new documentary on tigers from Orlando von Einsiedel’s Grain Media, producers of Virunga, which will air on Discovery’s networks globally in 2018.

“The global movement to protect tigers just got one million acres stronger,” said David Zaslav, the president and CEO of Discovery Communications. “Discovery is a purpose-driven company, and for more than 30 years we’ve had cameras in every corner of the globe, from Planet Earth to Racing Extinction, documenting and inspiring audiences about the beauty and splendor of our planet. Unfortunately, our cameras also have captured the fragile state of much of the world and its animals. So today we take a bold step further, beyond the lens, to protect one of our most iconic and endangered species. Not on our watch will we let these beautiful animals disappear from the world. We will shine a light on this compelling cause and amplify it through our global brands and platforms with the goal of doubling the wild tiger population by 2022.”

“Tiger populations are rising for the first time in a century,” said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF. “These numbers reflect the extraordinary commitment of regional leaders and leading philanthropists to double the population of tigers in the wild. We need even more of a movement to accomplish these goals. Discovery’s devotion to conservation and impressive reach can only inspire others to join the cause.”