Blue-eyed tiger cub is conservation's cry for help

"Life. That's what's in this picture that's missing in pictures of ivory, or poached animals," says photographer James Morgan. This blue-eyed tiger cub changed the focus of Morgan's photography when he stumbled across a tiger rescue in Bangkok, Thailand. This cub and 15 others were found hidden in a fruit crate behind the cab of a truck bound for Laos. Morgan had a flash of inspiration: rather than continue to bombard the world with pictures of tusks and animal carcasses, essentially information about what is already lost, he decided to remind us of what we still have, in the hope that we'll feel more compelled to protect it. Here, veterinary practitioners are sampling the cub's DNA in order to find out where the batch of 16 came from. This should help authorities better trace and crack down on the criminal network. Though it's still unclear who put them in the back of the truck, it's almost certain that they were being traded for their supposed medicinal qualities. Traditional Chinese medicine views tiger parts as providing good luck and protective powers, but cubs are also often traded for their fur or as pets for the elite. For this cub, and others like it, the story doesn't end happily. According to Morgan, it faces a lifetime in captivity at wildlife breeding centres because it is too risky to release these sought-after animals back into the wild. Morgan's hope is that images like this one – taken on behalf of a WWF campaign – will appeal to the conscience of those who buy animal products. 

By Julia Sklar