33 life-sized tiger sculptures scattered around S'pore as part of WWF S'pore's new interactive Tiger Trail

To raise awareness about the urgency for tiger conservation in Southeast Asia.

Zi Shan Kow | February 25, 2022, 03:44 PM

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33 life-sized tiger art sculptures will be exhibited across Singapore as part of World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore (WWF-Singapore)'s AR-mazing Tiger Trail.

The interactive Tiger Trail will take place from Feb. 26 to Apr. 9.

Gamified trail across Singapore

The sculptures were created by over 60 renowned local and international artists.

"Each unique artwork celebrates the majesty, beauty and environmental importance of the tiger," said Chris Westbrook, Curator and Creative Director of Tiger Trail.

At each sculpture on the trail, visitors can unlock a series of quizzes and Instagram Augmented Reality (AR) filters to learn more about the issues surrounding tiger conservation.

The sculptures can be found in locations such as Gardens by the Bay, Jewel Changi, National Gallery, Kampong Glam, The Fullerton Heritage and Sentosa.

Some of these sculptures were previously displayed in Chinatown over the Chinese New Year period.

To spread awareness of threats faced by tigers

"WWF-Singapore’s AR-mazing Tiger Trail was curated to encourage fun and creative discussions and promote education on vital issues facing the wild tiger population today," said WWF-Singapore’s Chief Executive Officer, R. Raghunathan.

Through the Tiger Trail, WWF-Singapore is raising awareness and funding to address the unrelenting decline in tiger populations across Southeast Asia, where big cats are facing the most urgent crisis.

Tigers have disappeared from the wild in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam within the last 25 years, and at current rates, the Malayan tiger could become extinct within our lifetime.

Today, only around 3,900 wild tigers remain globally.

The trail is supported by Singapore Tourism Board, and WWF-Singapore's partners include Tiger Brokers, B.Grimm, CMA CGM and Singtel.

The Chief Executive Officer of Tiger Brokers (Singapore), Eng Thiam Choon, said that the tiger resonates closely with Tiger Brokers as a brand identity and this partnership with WWF-Singapore will kickstart sustainability efforts for the fintech company.

Eng added that sustainability efforts will be a "long-term strategy" and Tiger Brokers aims to become "a force for good for the environment, society, and community at large".

Image by Kow Zi Shan.

Image by Kow Zi Shan.

Image by Kow Zi Shan.

Where to find them

The sculptures can be found islandwide starting this Saturday, Feb. 26.

The largest collection of all locations is in Gardens by the Bay, with a total of eight tiger sculptures.

At Supertree Grove, members of the public will be able to pick up a free Tiger Trail Passport and embark on their own mini adventure to learn about biodiversity while exploring the Gardens, said WWF-Singapore's press release.

Image by WWF-Singapore.

Image by WWF-Singapore.

Image by WWF-Singapore.

Workshops and activities for fundraising

While the AR-mazing Tiger Trail is ongoing, Temenggong Artists-in-Residence will also be conducting art workshops such as T-shirt decorating, mask painting and pottery sessions.

Other activities include terrarium making, coffee grounds upcycling and orange peel upcycling.

Ticketed guided tours of the AR-mazing Tiger Trail will also be available.

A portion of the proceeds from the paid activities will go into supporting WWF-Singapore's tiger conservation efforts.

Raghunathan elaborated that WWF-Singapore works with local communities to protect forest ecosystems, enable biologists to monitor wildlife, supports rangers in the field who deactivate snares as well as the enforcement agencies who seize illegal tiger products.

How to support tiger conservation

WWF-Singapore has also released a range of Tiger Trail merchandise on their online shop.

The merchandise includes designs by local artists Jackson Tan of ART-ZOO and Sonny Liew.

Images via WWF-Singapore.

All proceeds will go directly towards supporting WWF-Singapore's tiger conservation efforts.

At the conclusion of the trail, WWF-Singapore, in partnership with Sotheby’s, will launch an online auction from Apr. 12 to 26 for the AR-mazing Tiger Trail sculptures.

Members of the public can also contribute to WWF-Singapore's on-ground work for Malayan tigers by becoming a Tiger Protector.

Top images by Kow Zi Shan and WWF-Singapore.