Tiger

Tigers are the largest of all the Asian big cats, at the top the food chain, and are one of the most culturally important and beautiful animals on this planet. However, they are also among the most vulnerable and threatened species on Earth.

For over a million years, the “King of the Jungle” lorded over a territory stretching from eastern Turkey to the Russian Far East, with its home extending northward to Siberia and southward into Bali. But by the end of the last century, the Bali, Javan and Caspian tigers were extinct. Tragically, the remaining six subspecies risk the same fate as the Javan and Caspian because of illegal wildlife trade, poaching, and conflict with people.

If we do not respond to the plight of wild tigers and the needs of the communities that share their home with tigers—most of which is outside protected wildlife areas – we will witness the loss of one of the world’s most irreplaceable natural wonders of our lifetime. The static data shows that there are as few as 3,200 left in the wild.

Facts & Figures

• Tigers are found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia (Sumatra), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Russia (Far East), Thailand and Vietnam.
• The 6 living subspecies of tigers are: Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, South China and Sumatran.
• The Bali, Caspian and Javan tiger subspecies have all become extinct.
• Wild tiger numbers have fallen by about 95% over the past 100 years.
• Tigers survive in 40% less area than they occupied a decade ago.

Subspecies

Three tiger subspecies - the Bali, Javan, and Caspian - have become extinct in the past 70 years. The six remaining subspecies - Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, South China, and Sumatran - live only in Asia, and all are threatened by poaching and habitat loss.