Tigers (Panthera tigris) are the largest species of the cat family, they are beautiful and fierce. Tigers are solitary carnivores that live in forests and grasslands, and are strong swimmers. Most tigers are orange with black stripes; however certain tiger sub-species are born white with dark brown or reddish stripes. There have also been reports of tiger skins which are completely white and some that are completely black caught in the hands of smugglers.
The entire tiger species faces an unpredictable future because all tigers are endangered. There are five living sub-species: Siberian or Amur (Panthera tigris altaica), Sumatran (Panthera tigris sumatrae), North Indochinese (Panthera tigris corbetti), Bengal (Panthera tigris tigris) and the South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
is near extinction with only 20-30 living in the wild. Three sub-species Caspian tigers (Panthera tigris virgata), Javan tigers (Panthera tigris sondaica), and Bali tigers (Panthera tigris balica) are already extinct.
The largest population of tigers live in India, threatened by loss of habitat, loss of prey species, poaching and illegal trade. Being at the top of the food chain their only predators are human beings. In the past tigers were hunted for sport and to show bravery, today tigers are hunted for all their animal parts, such as fur and overexploited for their medicinal value. The illegal trade and use of tiger bone continues because of its value in traditional medicines despite a ban imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 1976.
further information:
Save The Tiger Fund
Endangered Tigers.org
