Taronga Zoo volunteer Melissa Richards will be running the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon on 18 May to raise much-needed funds for the endangered Sumatran Tiger.Melissa, who hasn’t run 21km since the 1990s, aims to raise $4,000 to support Taronga’s breeding and field conservation programs for the Sumatran Tiger.Her hips and back may be aching, but Melissa’s commitment is paying off, with her amazing friends and family having donated $3,494 to date.The Sumatran Tiger is considered critically endangered, with less than 400 remaining in the wild.The two major threats to the survival of the species are habitat destruction and poaching. Tigers are illegally poached for their body parts for use in traditional medicine, for their pelts and as trophies.Donations to Melissa will go to the Taronga Conservation Society Australia to help conserve Sumatran Tigers.Taronga’s breeding program acts as an insurance population against extinction in the wild. Taronga has also partnered with international groups to protect Sumatran Tigers from poaching and habitat destruction.To sponsor Melissa please visit http://run.gofundraise.com.au/page/MelissaR