Why is tiger endangered

Of all the big cats, tigers Panthera tigris are closest to extinction. Just over a century ago, there were as many as , wild tigers living in Asia. Today, fewer than 3, remain.

The tiger is classified into nine subspecies, three of which Javan, Caspian, and Bali are extinct. Fish and Wildlife Service Service is the federal agency responsible for the U. In addition, all tiger species are listed as Endangered species under the U. Endangered Species Act ESA , prohibiting the import of tiger parts and products into the United States except under certain conditions.

The Service, through the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act, supports conservation efforts of tigers in its range countries. It has been predicted that all tigers may become extinct in the wild within the next decade. In the early twentieth century, there were about , tigers in the wild with 9 subspecies. Now, that number is 3, and about 5, tigers are in captive populations. Several factors have negatively impacted these magnificent creatures. These include poaching, Illegal trade of tiger parts, loss of habitat, human conflict, and climate change.

Perhaps the most significant factors are poaching and illegal trading of tiger parts. In fact, the extinction of the Caspian and the Javan tiger can be directly linked to hunting. People hunt tigers for their pelts, teeth, claws, and bones.

These items are collected and sold as novelty items; some still use them as a symbol of status. In distant parts of the world, some people use tiger body parts in undeveloped medical practices. Most of these treatment ideas have been tested and discredited by many esteemed scientists.

The demand for tiger parts has led to the development of deeply inhumane places such as tiger breeding farms, which actively breed and slaughter tigers for their parts. The farms were created with the hopes of dissuading poachers from hunting wild tigers, but some of these farms have only increased the illegal trade. Tigers are large animals that require a lot of land to roam and hunt. They require tall grasses and vegetation to hide in. Tigers, like all animals, need a reliable water and food supply.

When these are taken away, tigers cannot survive. The human population has tripled since the s. With a smaller habitat to roam, tigers have become more of a problem for human populations, leading to more lethal confrontations for wild tigers. This has led to farmers killing many tigers to protect their livestock.

All tiger species are now considered endangered, due in large part to the market for their pelts, meat and body parts. Tropical and evergreen forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands, savanna. The largest member of the feline family, tigers originally inhabited a vast region of land all the way from Turkey throughout South and Southeast Asia to the far eastern shore of the continent.

Today, they are found only in South and Southeast Asia, China and scattered parts of the far east of Russia.