John Varty

John Varty is a controversial South African filmmaker. Varty established Tiger Canyons near the town of Philippolis on the Van der Kloof Lake in the Karoo of South Africa as an experiment to supposedly create a free-ranging, self-sustaining hybrid tiger population outside Asia. However experts feel that this is a money making venture by Varty in an attempt to earn money from the tourism industry. This was documented in a film called "Living with Tigers".

Tiger Canyons project

File:Julie&Savannah.jpg

Julie & Savannah, the lion cub

However there are controversies to his proposed conservation strategy. One criticism about the project is with the chosen cubs. Experts state that the four tigers (Ron, Julie, Seatao and Shadow) involved in the re-wilding project are not purebred Bengal tigers, and should therefore not be used for breeding. The four tigers are not recorded in the Bengal tiger Studbook and should not be deemed as purebred Bengal tigers. Many tigers in the world's zoos are genetically impure, a situation which may also apply to these four. The 1997 International Tiger Studbook lists the current global captive population of Bengal tigers at 210 tigers. All of the studbook-registered captive population is maintained in Indian zoos, except for one female Bengal tiger in North America. It has been pointed out that Ron and Julie (two of the tigers) were bred in the USA and hand-raised at Bowmanville Zoo in Canada, while Seatow and Shadow are two tigers bred in South Africa.

The tigers in the Tiger Canyons Project have recently been confirmed to be crossbred Siberian/Bengal tigers. Tigers that are not genetically pure are not allowed to be released into the wild and will not be able to participate in the tiger Species Survival Plan, which aims to breed genetically pure tiger specimens and individuals. It has thus been claimed that these tigers do not have any genetic value, and that their release into the wild could result in genetic pollution, besides the extinction of purebred Tigers.

Discovery documentary

The documentary has been described as a fraud. The tigers were apparently unable to hunt, and the film crew chased the prey up against the fence and into the path of the tigers for the sake of dramatic footage. Cory Meacham, a US-based environmental journalist mentioned that "the film has about as much to do with tiger conservation as a Disney cartoon." In addition, the tigers have not been released as the film suggests — and indeed still reside in a small enclosure under constant watch and with frequent human contact. The Discovery documentary contains footage that its maker, John Varty, has admitted on affidavit to be false.

There are claims that Tiger Canyons' Tigers have no conservation value, and experts question Varty's intention of building Tiger Canyons as a ecotourism industry in South Africa. Most experts concluded that it is just a money-minded venture which allows money to be earned through the deception that the tigers there are purebred, but in fact they have no conservation value as they are of mixed ancestry. Conservationists fear that the public will be misled in this cynical fashion.

John Varty, in an attempt to cover up his continual breeding and displaying of tigers with no genetic value and the lack of genetic purity, suggested Andrew Kitchener's theory of Tiger Subspecies classification but was later debunk. It was a outdated argument, suggested in 1999 by animal researcher Andrew Kitchener. He proposed a theory to re-classify Tiger Subspecies based on Geographic location instead of DNA molecular studies, this theory will eventually be overturned and seen as a wrong step in the world of conservation. He argued that the historical range of some Tiger subspecies overlapped, and using that basis, he assumed that these tigers must be genetically identical. He wanted to re-classify Tigers into 3 subspecies, the Sunda Island tigers which consist of all island tigers, the Mainland Tigers which consists of all Tiger subspecies ranging in China, Southern Asia and India and the Caspian Tiger. The argument was recorded in detail and published in Valmik Thapar's book, Tiger - The Ultimate Guide.

This argument was later overthrown by DNA Molecular studies, done in the year 2004. Kitchener's argument was flawed as it was based solely on geographical location, and not based on any DNA testing. The DNA research is a collaboration of the world's leading tiger experts, involving Melvin Sunquist, Ullas K Karanth, and Dale Miquelle. DNA testing was based off the latest genetic research based on blood, skin, hair, and/or skin biopsies of 134 tigers which known geographic origins. The study concludes that there are six subspecies of modern tigers alive today as we know today, the (1) Amur tiger; (2) northern Indochinese tiger; (3) South China tiger; (4) Malayan tiger; (5) Sumatran tiger; and (6) Bengal tiger P. t. tigris. Hence, according to the latest genetic studies, there are more than three subspecies of tiger. Therefore in conclusion, according to the latest genetic studies, more than three subspecies of tigers exist. Andrew Kitchner later accepted the research and went on to admitting that his theory was flawed.

Even though the argument has been disproved, and Kitchener himself admitted it's flaws. However there are concerns that some zoos and private organisations will use the theory as an excuse to breed tigers with no genetic record and value. Conservationists fear that private organisations will continue breeding tigers which are not purebred and to use the flawed theory to support their cause and hence getting an opportunity to breed tigers with mixed ancestry, disguising as an act of conservation.

Filmography

Living with Tigers A Secret Life Ambush in Paradise Brothers in Arms Cycle of the Seasons Defining Moments Horn and Claw Hunters Hyaena the Great Opportunist Jamu the Orphaned Leopard

Londolozi's Africa Perfect Mothers Perfect Predators Return of the Kings River Dinosaur Savage Instinct Savannah Cats Sense and Scentability Shingalana Super Hunts Super Hunters

Survival on the Savannah Swift and Silent The Brotherhood The Mating Game The Silent Hunter The Super Predators The Tracker Troubled Waters Wet and Wild

See also

• Running Wild

External links

• John Varty's website
• Discovery Channel profile
• Londolozi Private Reserve official website
• Guardian article on Londolozi and Mandela
• Carte Blanche (South African TV program) interviewing Li Quan and John Varty over the controversy and the lawsuit
• Press release regarding the film controversy and claiming fraud
• SABC program interviewing Li Quan and Gus Mills regarding the conservation issues
• Discovery Channel website quoting critics of the tiger project
• National Geographic article documenting Save China's Tiger project