News
Wednesday 12th March 2008
Conservationists from WWF believe that tiger numbers may have halved in the past 25 years. At a conference in Stockholm the WWF stated that there may only be 3,500 tigers left in the world and the South China tiger subspecies could soon be extinct.
The largest of the 'big cats', the tiger is an instantly recognisable and emotive symbol of conservation. Nine different subspecies are recognised, three of which, the Bali (P. t. balica), Javan (P. t. sondaica) and Caspian tigers, became extinct in the latter part of the 20th Century.
Human activities are the principal cause of declining tiger numbers. Hunting was a major cause of mortality in the past; both for trophies and as part of organised pest control measures. Today poaching and illegal killing, for example by livestock owners, remain the major threat to the survival of the species, particularly with the growing demand for tiger bones in Oriental 'medicine'. The demand for remedies made from tiger parts has increased due to increasing affluence in Asia, and laws preventing international trade in tiger parts are largely ignored. Hong Kong is the main importer of tiger products, with tiger bone the most used part. The bones are crushed to be used in anti-inflammatory drugs for rheumatism and arthritis, amongst many other uses. The trade in tiger skins is also increasing. Habitat loss has occurred through much of the tiger's range and also threatens survival; as land becomes rapidly developed to meet the increasing demand of the Asian population explosion, tiger populations become isolated in remaining fragments of wilderness and ultimately die out. The tiger's natural prey species have declined in numbers due to over-hunting, leading individuals to turn to domestic livestock, which inevitably causes conflict with local farmers.
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