The Save Vanishing Species stamp, or “Tiger Stamp” as it is commonly known, is named for the tiger cub depicted on the stamp.
Though the price of the Tiger Stamp has not yet been announced, it is expected to cost 6 to 11 cents more than a standard 49-cent first class postage stamp. The extra few cents will go directly to international conservation programs funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Read more: Helping endangered wildlife species one stamp at a time
President Obama Signs Bill extending sale of “Tiger Stamp”
President Obama signed the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization Act into law, meaning once again, Americans will be able to purchase the Save Vanishing Species Stamp at post offices and online, with funds going to help conserve some of the world’s most iconic and threatened species.
The stamp – affectionately known as the Tiger Stamp for the painting of an Amur tiger cub it bears – functions as a regular postal mail stamp that sells at a small premium. The additional money goes to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Multinational Species Conservation Funds, directly funding conservation of elephants, rhinoceros, tigers, great apes and marine turtles.
“Poaching to feed the growing black markets for wildlife products such as elephant ivory and rhino horn is pushing several species closer to the precipice of extinction,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “The American public can play a key role in reducing the threat to these global treasures by never buying products made from these animals and educating their friends and family to do the same. I am delighted that now they can once again also directly support on-the-ground conservation efforts in the range countries of these species by purchasing Tiger Stamps.”
The stamp was created in 2011, but sale was only congressionally mandated for two years. At the end of 2013, the Post Office elected to pull the stamp from its shelves. This reauthorization act, passed by the Senate on July 31 and the U.S. House of Representatives on September 8, now guarantees an additional four years of sale.
The Tiger Stamp has already generated more than $2.5 million dollars for international conservation from the sale of 25.5 million stamps, leveraging an additional $3.6 million in matching funds for 47 projects in 31 countries.are being trained and equipped to prevent wildlife crimes.
The Save Vanishing Species Stamp will be available in U.S. post offices and at USPS.com. To learn more about the Multinational Species Conservation Funds and the Save Vanishing Species Stamp, visit: www.tigerstamp.com.
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