Tigers are roaming the streets of Singapore once again

Tiger Trail Biodiversity Map. WWF-Singapore’s AR-mazing Tiger Trail is on until April 9, 2022. (Photographs courtesy: www.gardensbythebay.com.sg & WWF-Singapore).

Singapore lost its last tiger sometime over the last 100 years, but the majestic cats can be found on the streets of the island again. Not one or two, but 33 of them.

These tigers are not the ones with iconic black stripes on burnished brown. A tiger with gold leaf on its back. A tiger walking with his own shadow. A red tiger with butterfly wings. A black tiger painted with silver tiger lilies and plastered with orange ceramic butterflies. One tiger has its orange stripes made from stock market numbers from a financial newspaper and the black stripes from ink. A half-submerged tiger that serves as a reminder of the impact of continued deforestation and the resulting floods and rising sea levels.

Spread across 23 locations in Singapore, the 33 life-size tiger sculptures by eminent artists from across the world are part of WWF-Singapore’s AR-mazing Tiger Trail that uses art as a vehicle to educate and spark discussion about tiger conservation, climate change and all that ails the environment.

Over 60 international artists including India’s Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, and Michelle Poonawalla are showcasing their tigers in Singapore. Interestingly, each tiger sculpture uses the same base frame of metal and fibreglass - modelled on a real Bengal tiger named King. The artists, however, had creative freedom in designing the surfaces.

Artist Michelle Poonawalla’s Striped Tiger is inspired by the Common Butterfly - a butterfly which has tiger stripes on its wings. Quite like the Common Butterfly, Poonawalla’s tiger also has the butterfly's wings on its body. The butterfly, a recurring motif in Poonawalla’s work, symbolises the fragility and the ephemeral, transformative nature of life. The sculpture is depicted in red as the colour symbolises energy, mobility, and luck in Asian culture.

Michelle Poonawalla with her tiger sculpture Striped Tiger in Singapore

“I was drawn to Tiger Trail and its mission. It is my honour to be able to make art that supports the environment and majestic animals such as the tiger, helping to secure their survival for generations. It is important to recognise the beauty in the nature around us and create a sense of pride in our local wildlife,” said Poonawalla who lives and works between London, UK, and Pune.

'Chromatic Tiger' created by Ian Davenport (UK).

Artists Bharti Kher and Subodh Gupta collaborated to create the Puli tiger sculpture by combining signature materials like utensils, the bindi and the tiger head made of fibreglass. This unique piece speaks of the artists’ commitment towards art as a vehicle for social good.

According to WWF-Singapore, at the start of the 20th century, 100,000 wild tigers roamed the earth; today, only around 3,900 wild tigers remain and Southeast Asia is where the big cats face the most urgent crisis. The tigers’ range has reduced by approximately 95%, leaving populations fragmented and isolated.

'XingXing', created by Kumari Nahappan (Singapore).

“WWF’s AR-mazing Tiger Trail is raising awareness and funding to address the unrelenting decline in tiger populations across Southeast Asia. The Trail was curated to encourage fun and creative discussions and promote education on vital issues facing the wild tiger population today,” R. Raghunathan, CEO, WWF-Singapore, said in an official statement.

In the highly-visual, gamified Tiger Trail, visitors can better understand the challenges of tiger conservation through a series of quizzes and Instagram AR filters, which can be unlocked at each sculpture on the trail. Visitors can also pick up a free Tiger Trail Passport and embark on their own mini-adventure to learn about biodiversity while exploring the Supertree Grove (Gardens by the Bay) that has eight tiger sculptures.

'Lullaby', created by Phannapast “Yoon” Taychamaythakool (Thailand).

A portion of the proceeds from the ticket sales will be used for tiger conservation work in Southeast Asia.

At the conclusion of the Trail, WWF-Singapore, in partnership with Sotheby’s, will launch an online auction, from April 12-26, 2022, for the AR-mazing Tiger Trail sculptures.

'My extinction is just a precursor for your extinction', created by Jake Chapman (UK).

Remembering the Queen of Ranthambore

David Yarrow, a British fine-art photographer, conservationist and author, remembers his encounter with a tigress in Ranthambore.

“It is very hot in May and the roads are not made for comfort. These are long days and the drinking water becomes warm by noon – even in a cooler. However, when encounters with tigers happen, they can be spellbinding. The tiger is the stuff of fantasy and fable and it is no surprise that they are many people’s favourite animal. This mother of three is well known to the guides and because tigers feel the heat just as much as we do, watering holes in the middle of the day offered the best chance of meeting her in her territory. On this occasion, I was able to get very low and she confronted me head on. The shadowed ripples of water fuse with her stripes in a manner I could never have preconceived. The 98.5% of gruelling torture was made totally worthwhile by this special encounter.”

(Source: WWF-Singapore’s Tiger Trail catalogue)

'Poppy Tiger', created by Zhang Huan (China).

Good to know

Where to find the tigers: Gardens by the Bay, Jewel Changi, National Gallery, Kampong Glam, The Fullerton Heritage and Sentosa

Online auction: WWF-Singapore’s AR-mazing Tiger Trail is on until April 9, 2022. Bidding for the online auction of the 33 life-size tiger sculptures will open on April 12 and close on April 26, 2022.

Adopt a tiger: You can also adopt a tiger at https://adopt.wwf.sg/species/tiger.

Merchandise: On WWF-Singapore's online shop, you can purchase Tiger Trail merchandise, such as tiger pins and tote bags designed by local artists Jackson Tan of ART-ZOO and Sonny Liew.