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Tigers
Recognized throughout the world for its ferocity and unmistakable beauty, the tiger faces an uncertain
future. Due to increases in both natural and human threats, the wild tiger population suffered major losses during the 20th
century and has become one of our most endangered species. By the 1950s, tigers living around the Caspian Sea were extinct;
between 1937 and 1972 the population of tigers that once inhabited the islands of Bali and Java disappeared; the South China
tiger, with at best 20 to 30 individuals, is nearly extinct in the wild.
India today has the largest number of tigers, numbering somewhere between 3,030 and 4,735 and it is estimated
that only 5,100 to 7,500 individual tigers now remain in the entire world. These remaining tigers are threatened by many factors,
including growing human populations, loss of habitat, illegal hunting of tigers and the species they hunt, and expanded trade
in tiger parts used for traditional medicines.
WWF and many other organizations are now working to combat these threats and save the tiger. Together,
we can ensure that we leave our children a planet where tigers still roam wild.
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