“The wild tiger’s survival hangs in the balance. If we fail to act to save these animals, what hope do other endangered species have? We have 10 years to double the number of wild tigers or 10 years until their extinction. The choice is ours,” said Simon Clinton, founder of Save Wild Tigers (SWT). This was the urgent message Clinton wanted to convey at a reception held recently at the Raffles Hotel to conclude the Tiger Express’ six-night train journey from Bangkok to Singapore that took guests through tiger territories in Malaysia and Thailand. London-based Chinese artist Jacky Tsai, who created the iconic floral skull emblem for Alexander McQueen, was behind the artwork that appeared on the livery of two cars of the Eastern & Oriental train, with the original artwork auctioned off on the night of the reception to benefit ambassadors: Kim Jones, Dior Men’s Artistic Director; Victoria Tang-Owen, Creative Director of Shanghai Tang; singer Melanie Blatt; and actress Jaime Winstone. Over $100,000 was raised for SWT, and the funds will go towards creating and implementing mass media and public awareness campaigns; critical tiger conservation projects like the Satpuda Landscape Tiger Programme; and the facilitation of work with relevant agencies, including the Born Free Foundation, Environmental Investigation Agency and the Wildlife Conservation Society of Malaysia.  

This story first appeared on PrestigeOnline Singapore.