Artist Zio Ziegler and WWF Debut Tiger T-shirt on World Wildlife Day

Mar 2, 2018 9:30 AM ET

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2018 /3BL Media/ - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is proud to collaborate with artist Zio Ziegler on an exclusive new tiger-inspired t-shirt design aimed at raising awareness and support of WWF’s global conservation efforts to protect tigers and other wildlife and wild places.

The limited-edition t-shirt, created in honor of World Wildlife Day, March 3, is available in WWF’s Online Gift Center as our way of saying thank you for supporting WWF with your donation of $55 or more.

WWF estimates that over the course of the last century, tiger populations have declined by a startling 96%. Today the greatest threats to tigers are rampant poaching and habitat destruction. The 13 tiger range countries are working alongside WWF and other partners on a bold plan to change the tiger’s downward trajectory: a global goal to double the number of wild tigers by 2022 (the next Chinese Year of the Tiger). As part of this goal, tiger range countries—with help from WWF experts, scientists, rangers, and local communities—have developed and implemented a Global Tiger Recovery Plan to ensure tiger conservation is a priority.

“When I learned about the plight of the tiger ... I was moved to lend my art to their cause,” said Ziegler. “There is something tragically ironic about this animal being so incredibly powerful and yet so vulnerable. But I have hope because of the work that WWF and partners are doing... Tremendous progress has already been achieved because of this work, and I believe we can all play a part in saving these astonishing big cats.”

Ziegler is best known for his paintings and murals, many of which appear on buildings in San Francisco, as well as other cities such as Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, and Milan. One of Ziegler’s most notable works is a 135-foot tall mural on the Cathedral Building in Oakland, California, which was commissioned by the United Nations to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter.

Ziegler has been painting and drawing tigers for years and has often incorporated patterns from nature into his work, and his tiger design for WWF is a special example of this.

“I hope you’ll join me and WWF in the effort to help tigers rebound,” says Ziegler.

Ziegler’s limited-edition tiger t-shirt is available in WWF’s Online Gift Center at worldwildlife.org/ZioZiegler.