The
tiger population has dropped over the past 100 years by a factor of 25 -
from an estimated 100,000 in 1900 to only 4000 in the 1970's. A serious
effort by wildlife protection groups in the 1970's halted their rapid
disappearance and decline of the global population of tigers in the wild has
grown modestly to around 6000 at the turn of the century.
Sub-species of Tiger found around the globe:
There are eight subspecies of Tiger in all:
- The Bengal (Panthera tigris tigris) aka Royal Bengal or Indian Tiger)
- The Sumatran (Panthera tigris sumatrae), the Siberian (Panthera tigris
altaica) aka Amur or Manchurian Tiger )
- The Indochinese (Panthera tigris corbetti) aka Malaysian Tiger)
- The South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
The above remaining 5 subspecies are all on the brink of extinction.
The other three subspecies are all extinct. They are as
follows:
- The Javan (Panthera tigris sondaica)
-
The Caspian (Panthera tigris virgata)
- The Bali Tiger (Panthera tigris balica)
They are now gone forever.
The remaining five subspecies are in very real danger of disappearing, but
the fact they are still hanging on means there is still time left to save
them.
The Tiger is categorised as ENDANGERED (EN) in the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species, which means it is considered to be facing a very high
risk of extinction in the wild. The South China Tiger is critically
endangered, with only 20-30 individuals thought to survive in the wild.
Wildlife Conservation organizations around the globe actively working to
save the tiger:
World Wildlife Fund:
From Operation Tiger to the Global Tiger Forum, WWF's efforts to save the
tiger are extensive. WWF is supportive of in-depth, long-term conservation
programs around the globe.
5 Tigers Project:
The Tiger Information Center, supported by Save the Tiger Fund -- a program
of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in partnership with the Exxon
Corporation -- provides information to the public, scientific, and
conservation communities and supports an international forum for exchanging
information relevant to the preservation of wild tigers across Asia and in
zoos worldwide.
Wildlife Conservation Society:
WCS's Tiger Campaign has mobilized field research and conservation
endeavours in most of the countries where tigers remain.
Hornocker
Wildlife Research Institute:
The Hornocker Wildlife Institute began operating The Siberian Tiger Project
in 1991 -- a cooperative effort between top Russian and American scientists,
wildlife biologists and veterinarians.
International Union for the Conservation of Nature / World
Conservation Union:
The IUCN's Cat Specialist Group consists of leading international experts
on the tiger. They advise the IUCN, CITES, governments, and non-governmental
conservation organizations on the biology, behavior, and management of the
tiger species. It is comprised of 120 world government agencies and 400
non-governmental organizations.
