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New Study Shows Indian Tigers on the Brink
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A two-month old Indian tiger cub
© WWF-Canon / Martin Harvey |
The Indian tiger is quickly disappearing from the wild. Just a century ago, there were about 100,000 wild tigers roaming Southeast Asia with the largest population living in India. Now, the Indian government estimates there are only 1,300 to 1,500 tigers remaining in the country - a decline of over 50 percent in 5 years.
In India tigers symbolize bravery and beauty. Yet despite their iconic place in the region's culture they are severely threatened by poaching to supply tiger parts for traditional Chinese medicines and fashion items. The results of this illegal trade are the total loss of tiger populations in places such as India's Sariska Tiger Reserve. Other reserves are suffering from insufficient funding and poor management of protected areas.
To protect Asia's largest predator, WWF and our conservation partners are working at local, national and international levels to end the trade in tiger parts, strengthen antipoaching efforts and protect the habitats of this majestic animal. At the recent Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) WWF and its partners led a global movement that successfully advocated for the Chinese government to uphold its 14-year ban on domestic tiger trade. WWF is also a member of the International Tiger Coalition - an alliance representing more than 100 organizations and millions of people worldwide - that will continue the fight to protect this important species.
Even though the Chinese government has responded to international pressure and upheld its ban on the tiger trade, there are currently tiger farms in China housing nearly 5,000 animals. Now the farms are tourist attractions, but owners are continuing to pressure their government to legalize tiger trade so they can profit from the sale of skins, bones and other parts from their farmed tigers. Any trade would be a disaster for India's already depleted tiger population because it would be impossible to distinguish illegally poached tiger parts from Chinese-farmed tigers.
Learn more about WWF's tiger conservation work.
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