Why
are the tigers almost extinct?
Marte Finnvik
Solli
About the tigers:
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest of
all cats. They are excellent predators, and can eat up to 40kg meat at one
time.
They are solitary animals, and they mark their territories with their
scent and with clawmarking trees.
The only contact adult tigers have with each other is when they mate.
The tiger’s habitat used to
reach from eastern
For the last hundred years the tiger population has gone from about
100,000 to about 4000-7500 individuals (a number that for many reasons is very
difficult to estimate), a total decrease of about 95%!
Out of 8 subspecies, 3 have become extinct during the last century.
These were the
The main reasons for tiger endangerment are:
-
Habitat loss
-
Poaching
-
Population fragmentation
Habitat loss:
Due to a constant increase in the human population, more and more
forests have been cut down for timber or conversion to agriculture. This result
in a decrease of animals which tigers prey on, and
therefore a decrease in the tiger population.
Another bi-effect is that for surviving some tigers start eating the
livestock of villagers who live near them. These tigers are often killed by the
local people.
Poaching:
In eastern
The tiger parts (virtually the whole body) are sold at a very high price
on the black market, so even though it is illegal to kill tigers, they are
still being poached.
Next to no data on tiger products in pharmacies and markets exists,
therefore it is impossible to determine how large the demand for these products
is. Chinese authorities have disclosed that, in 1991, exports of tiger bone
medicines included 15079 cartons of tablets, 5250kg of liquid medicines, and
31500 bottles of wine.
The bans on these trades have until recently been almost non-existing,
and in many countries they are still not very efficient. In some places
poachers and dealers who are caught are released on bail and re-offend.
In many forests there also are too few wild-life guards, if any. This result in big difficulties catching the poachers.
The impact of the poaching is bigger than the loss of the killed animal.
If the killed animal is a female, she may be pregnant or having cubs.
These cubs are probably helpless on their own, and the real number of tigers
lost may be 3-4. The female tiger also have a breeding potential that should be
accounted for in this calculation.
If the killed animal is a male,
other bi-effects occur. These may be that other males fight to take over the
dead tiger’s territory. After this, cubs often get killed so that the new male
ensures that his own genetic material is spread, and breeding is disrupted for
a long period.
Population fragmentation:
This is another problem created by habitat loss. Groups of tigers become
separated from each other by villagers and farms as human populations move
farther into the forests. This results in inbreeding because the tigers only
can mate with the tigers in their separated group. The genetical variety is
lost, and tigers are born with birth defects and mutations.
What can be done?
Many groups and corporations, and none the least civil people, are now
aware of how endangered the tigers are, and stand together to help saving them.
The main goals are to stop the poaching, and ensure that the tigers
still will have habitats to live in.
To make this come through, it is extremely important to have the local
authorities and communities on the tiger’s side. Without strong local
leadership, most of the western contributions of capital and scientific
expertise will only have short-term effects.
As examples of this are two of the WWF`s tiger conservation projects:
“
(….) WWF is working to get a better understanding of the tiger
population remaining, reduce poaching of tigers and other animals, prevent and
reduce habitat fragmentation, train local authorities in wildlife law
enforcement and habitat protection, and involve local communities in resource
protection.” “Nepal/India.
(……) Currently the tiger population in the Terai is estimated 259-269
tigers. The key threats that WWF is addressing include poaching of tigers and
their prey, encroachment and fragmentation of habitat, human-wildlife conflict,
and lack of training for national park staff”
(www.worldwildlife.org/tigers/projects.cfm)
WWF works together with, among others, the “Save The
Tiger Fund”, which also has as a main goal to work together with communities
which live around tiger habitats, and to make these co-operators in tiger
conservation.
To prevent more poaching
of the tigers, it is important to stop the illegal trade in tiger products. If
there was no market for these products, there would be no reason to kill a
tiger for its body.
“ In 1994, member nations of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) took unprecedented action,
agreeing unanimously to work to halt the international illegal trade in tiger
parts and urging tiger-range countries to prohibit domestic trade as well.
Together with some CITIES member nations, WWF has begun to work with
traditional Asian medicine communities to develop strategies for eliminating
the use of tiger parts or derivatives, including the active promotion of
natural medicinal alternatives endorsed by the
The tiger’s future is uncertain, but with the help of these groups and
foundations, and ofcourse the people around the world, and none the least the
local communities and authorities where the tigers live, they still have a
chance for survival. We can only hope that the saving-process started early
enough, and that it proceeds fast enough to save them.