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Tigers in Trouble

Spanish Translation

By Claudia Atticot

The wild tiger population is at an all-time low. Governments and conservation groups are working to save them. Is it too late?

For centuries, tigers have been a symbol of power, courage and good fortune. But the big cat's luck may be running out. In January, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) revealed that the wild tiger population has hit an all-time low of 3,200. In 1998, there were 5,000 to 7,000 tigers.

Scientists believe the decline is due to illegal hunting, climate change and a substantial loss of habitat and prey. "It's startling how fast they can lose their habitat," Sybille Klenzendorf, a tiger expert at the WWF, told TFK.

Tigers live in a wide range of areas (see "Map It Out!"). Siberian, or Amur, tigers roam mainly across the frigid regions of Russia. Bengal tigers can be found in the grasslands of the Indian subcontinent. But development has taken a toll on tigers. People have moved into tiger territory and destroyed much of the animal's habitat. Today, tigers live in 7% of the habitat they occupied just a hundred years ago.

In Greater Mekong, an area in Southeast Asia, tigers have been pushed close to extinction. More than 70% of its tiger population has been lost in the past 12 years, due in large part to illegal hunting.

Climate change is threatening the big cats in the Sundarbans delta, on the coasts of India and Bangladesh. The delta is home to the world's largest Bengal tiger population. Scientists say a rise in sea levels could destroy the Bengal's habitat and wipe out 96% of the tiger population by 2070.

The Year of the Tiger

The Chinese New Year begins on February 14, and 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. The WWF hopes people will take action to save the tiger this year. The group's program Tx2 aims to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger.

It may already be too late for the South China tiger. In the 1950s, there were 4,000 living in the wild in southern China. But the cat has not been sighted in more than 25 years. Researchers believe it may be extinct in the wild. Illegal trade in tiger parts led to the decline. Tiger bones are a key ingredient in Chinese folk medicine.

Can There Be a Comeback?

Last month, leaders from 12 Asian nations and Russia met to discuss plans to save the tiger. They are cracking down on hunters and adopting bans on the sale of tiger products. They are also looking for ways to protect the tiger habitat.

A logging ban in China, begun in 1998 to protect the tiger habitat, is starting to pay off. The Siberian tiger has expanded its range from Russia to China. "That's one of the places that we put huge hope into for tiger recovery," Klenzendorf says.

She believes that with help from local communities, tigers can make a comeback. "The potential is there," she says. "But we need to work on the human angle."

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