A wildlife book aimed at raising funds to safeguard tigers across the world has collected more than five times its crowdfunding target.
Remembering Tigers is the latest in a series of photographic books documenting threatened animals like rhinos, elephants and African wild dogs.
The series has donated more than £1.1 million to worldwide conservation projects in a bid to help protect the animals.
The latest edition in the series needed £20,000 to fund the publication, but within eight minutes of the Kickstarter crowdfunding page going live it had reached its target, and now stands at more than £110,000 with the fundraising running until April 28.
Margot Raggett, Remembering Wildlife founder and producer, said: “The tiger is recognised the world over, yet it is the most endangered of all large cats, with an estimated population of just 5,500 – less than cheetahs and far fewer than lions.
“These beautiful creatures, with their stunning stripes, each utterly unique, are now restricted to just 10% of their historical range.
“Tigers are threatened by loss of habitat, illegal hunting for the Chinese medicinal trade, widespread killing of their prey for bushmeat, as well as retaliation for attacks on humans and livestock.
“Numbers are, thankfully, increasing in some areas, due to recent successful conservation measures, yet tigers are still the least numerous of all the large wild cats. There’s no time to waste. Now is the time for us to tell their story.”
Weighing up to 260kg and measuring up to three metres in length, the tiger is the largest of the big cats.
It is found in Asia, from India through to eastern Russian and into China, and its habitat ranges from sub-tropical forests to snow-covered mountainous terrain.
However, it is listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The book will be published on October 7 and feature stunning images donated by many of the world’s leading wildlife photographers, including Art Wolfe, Jonathan and Angela Scott and Greg du Toit, with the cover image captured by Sarah Skinner.
All profits from the sale of Remembering Tigers will be donated to organisations working to protect the endangered big cat.