Unless you've had your head under a rock you'll be aware of the debate going on regarding wild tiger numbers. The WWF and Global Tiger Forum (GTF) spin prior to and during the recent Tiger Conference in Delhi has been met with loud derision from various parties. Although it is important for at least some clarity in an issue where there cannot be exact science, squabbling and agendas are once again diluting effective conservation at the time when we have a poaching crisis.
As I bust my guts at the moment trying to get anti-poaching equipment implemented in places where it's needed I'm reminded of the Jack Nicholson lines in the movie A Few Good Men:
"You want answers?! ... You can't handle the truth!"
You see whatever the "numbers" and whatever the truth, WWF et al will make hay with clever spin, people will respond to tweets with donations, and so it goes on. I'm not going to get into the nuts and blots of this debate, who is right and who is wrong, I don't have time, I'm too bloody busy. It's just that so much time and resources get wasted as the bullshit flows and the spin continues when the reality is at ground level it is a real battle.
Back to the movie, well let's change the title to A Few Good People. It's been my pleasure to spend time with some of them over the last thirty six hours. There are people who work damn hard below the radar, there is very little thanks or recognition at the coal face but there is the knowledge that this thing is worth fighting for. Let the others continue with their schoolyard politics while there's hard work to be done.
Re the alternative logo, it's just one of a series that will be applied to products and services used to raise funds, real money for real work... no time for spin, agendas and squabbling...
