How Many Tigers?

How many tigers will exist A hundred years from now? How many tigers will persist Surviving Man somehow? For Man can be both good and bad, The sinner or the saint, Controlling everything he had, All creatures bound or chained... How many tigers will resist The sabotage to be? How many tigers will be missed Throughout eternity? For Man seeks trophies now and then, From both the weak and strong, Sometimes he hunts to eat again, Sometimes it's just plain wrong... How many tigers will enlist The wise ones who've campaigned? How many tigers will insist That their rights are maintained? For Man seems prone to let things die, From great to small alike, That's all it takes, stand idly by, Then let extinction strike... Denis Martindale September 2016. A poem based on the magnificent Stephen Gayford wildlife paintings promoting wildlife conservation. Google-search phrases for such news articles, gayford prints and 'Stephen Gayford poetry'.