TIGER
Tigers make their homes in mostly fragmented forests stretching from India to northeast China and from the Russian Far East to Sumatra, but years of habitat loss and poaching have made it hard to spot a tiger in the wild.
Take action now
Help us protect tigers and save them from extinction.The largest of all cat species, this striped feline deserves to be recognised as king of the jungle. Four-inch retractable claws, mighty jaws and muscular legs enable it to bring down prey more than twice its size! With this great power comes great responsibility; as an ultimate apex predator, the tiger is crucial for maintaining balance within ecosystems.
With less than 5,600 left in the wild, every big cat counts.
The wild tiger population hit an all-time low in 2010, with just 3,200 animals remaining worldwide. Thanks to a long and coordinated international tiger conservation campaign (TX2), global tiger numbers are on the rise!
But we still have a long way to go, as tigers are still an endangered species, putting entire ecosystems at risk. WWF cannot stop its crucial conservation work on this species until wild tigers everywhere are protected.
Scroll down to find out how you can help tigers before they disappear forever.
Threats
Challenges tigers face in the wildTiger-human conflict
People and tigers increasingly compete for space. The conflict threatens the world’s remaining wild tigers and poses a major problem for communities living in or near them. As forests shrink and prey becomes scarce, tigers are forced to hunt domestic livestock, which many local communities depend on for their livelihoods. This close proximity of tigers to these communities has also lead to people being seriously injured or killed. Sometimes in retaliation, the tigers are then captured or culled. Community dependence on forests for fuel wood, food and timber also heightens the risk of tiger attacks on people. ‘Conflict’ tigers are commonly sold on the black market.
Why it matters
Tigers are one of the most recognisable species in the world and one of the first animals that children learn to recognise. They are not only important culturally to the people who live in tiger range countries, but they are also interlaced within Western cultures through football teams, music, tv and even fashion. Given their iconic status, they are an important touch stone for many people when it comes to conservation.
WWF-Australia Rewilding Program Ecologist
In saving tigers, we also save the biologically rich and diverse landscapes in which they still roam – Asia’s last great rainforests, jungles and wild lands. These forests are home to thousands of other species, people and the food, fresh water and flood protection local communities need to survive.
Tigers are also culturally important to many peoples around the world.
What WWF is doing to support tigers
Protecting tiger habitats
Fewer tigers now survive in the fragmented and shrinking habitats they have left.
WWF is working to reconnect remaining tiger habitats through replanting and by protecting what habitat still remains.
Through community engagement, WWF is supporting local landholders and Indigenous Peoples to prevent deforestation of important tiger habitat and increase tiger ranges in their areas.
Creating a safer world for tigers - and humans too
As tiger habitat reduces, wild tigers are being forced closer and closer to people, their homes and communities. In fact, over 47 million people worldwide were found living within the boundaries of a tiger range.
WWF is working with Indigenous Peoples and local communities in these areas to reduce contact with tigers and protect their livestock. Simple changes such as installing predator-proof enclosures and streetlights to deter tigers from entering villages at night can help keep human-tiger encounters to a minimum.
WWF has also supported the training of hundreds of locals as rapid response team members who harmlessly deter tigers and other animals from entering villages and damaging crop fields.
Ending tiger poaching
Sadly, every part of the tiger is still traded in illegal wildlife markets - skin, teeth, flesh and bones are all used for traditional remedies and as status symbols.
By working with local communities, WWF is supporting tiger protection by funding Indigenous anti-poaching patrol teams who remove snares and traps from the forest and report any findings to local authorities.
What you can do to help
Tigers are losing their homes and their lives. But together, we can help these majestic big cats thrive. There are many ways you can support our tiger conservation work.- Make a donation to help give tigers a future.
- Symbolically adopt a tiger through WWF and support WWF’s tiger conservation efforts. For each tiger you assist, you'll help a host of other species too.
- Purchase a WWF-Australia Wildcard and give your loved ones a gift that makes a real difference.
- Try to buy forest-friendly products, like FSC-certified paper and wood products, certified sustainable palm oil and sustainable coffee.
- Don’t buy anything containing tiger parts when travelling overseas.
- Spread the #protecttigers message: post, tweet, subscribe and share our tiger news.
Species bio
Common name: Tiger
Scientific name: Panthera tigris
Stats: Tiger subspecies vary in their size and colour. Males of the largest subspecies, the Amur (Siberian) tiger, can weigh up to 300 kilograms. Males of the smallest subspecies – the Sumatran tiger – are lucky to reach half that size.
Status: Listed as Endangered (IUCN Red List).
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Did you know?
Female tigers give birth to litters of one to four cubs. Cubs cannot hunt until they are 18 months old and remain with their mothers for two to three years, after which they disperse to find their own territory.
