Save Tigers from Extinction, Animal Sake

Visiting a tiger at the zoo is exciting. But in reality, that tiger should be roaming a vast jungle, not pacing a cage. The bad news is stark: the tiger, especially in the Indian subcontinent, is on the verge of extinction. It is high time that people start taking steps to save this animal.

These days, you can see signs everywhere saying "Just 1411 Left", referring to the tiger population in the Indian subcontinent. Normally, you might groan at seeing the number 1411 on a shopping bill; that sounds like a lot. But when it represents the number of surviving tigers, don't you think it's too small a number for an entire species?

Statistics show that by the end of the last century, Earth had already lost 3 out of 8 tiger subspecies. The three lost forever are the Caspian, the Balinese, and the Javan tiger.

Extinction means that none of the future generations will ever see these animals, they are just names now. It is hard to imagine that this charismatic animal is poisoned, trapped, shot, and killed for monetary gains. Such a miserable death for such a royal being. Substitute human beings in those statistics and imagine how it would feel if there were just 1411 of them left. It sounds like a sci-fi movie, but it is definitely scary. And the scariest part is that somebody else would probably be doing the counting.

The Subspecies

As already mentioned, there are 8 subspecies of tigers, of which 3 are extinct. The names of all 8 are:

Bengal Tiger
Indochinese Tiger
Sumatran Tiger
Amur/Siberian Tiger
South Chinese Tiger
Javan Tiger (extinct)
Caspian Tiger (extinct)
Bali Tiger (extinct)

The subspecies without "extinct" after their names are endangered and may soon share that fate, thanks to human beings. Interestingly, scientists have suggested that the South Chinese Tiger is already "functionally extinct."

A Sumatran tiger close-up portrait showing vivid orange coat and black stripes — The Sumatran tiger is critically endangered, fewer than 400 survive in the wild.

Classification

Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Panthera
Species: Panthera tigris

Tiger Facts

Physical Characteristics

The tiger is the largest member of the cat family. Its size varies by subspecies and gender. The average height is 3 feet at the shoulder, and 5-7 feet from head to rump. The tail adds another 3 feet. Weight ranges between 175 and 650 pounds depending on the subspecies.

In the Food Chain

The tiger stands at the very top of the food pyramid. It is the unofficial king of the jungle, and its only true enemy is human beings. It hunts everything from a deer to a seal. Its hunting skills are among the best in the animal kingdom, the only ones who defeat it are poachers. Poachers hunt and kill tigers for their fur, teeth, and other parts. Just one kill makes a poacher richer by many folds, so it is difficult to convince people not to kill this animal. What is needed are stricter rules and dedicated activists and forest rangers who make sure this precious creature is not harmed.

World Population

According to statistics, the world population of the tiger in the early 1900s was around 100,000. It fell to about 40,000 by the 1950s. A major crash came in the 1970s, when numbers dropped to just 4000 owing to wide-scale poaching for fur, use in Chinese medications, and some rare delicacies. Even today, people in countries like Korea, Taiwan, China, and India still earn money by killing this magnificent animal. The first step must be stopping the trade in animal fur and body parts, when there is no demand, there will be no killing. Current statistics suggest that there are around 5000-7000 tigers left in the world, of which 1411 are in the Indian subcontinent.

Take the Tiger Quiz!

5 questions. How much do you know about tigers and why they need our help?

Enemies

Poaching: Killing tigers for their parts has been happening for ages. Some communities use every single part of a tiger once it is killed, and they earn a great deal of money from it.
Hunting: Hunting tigers used to be a favorite pastime for royalty. Killing a tiger and keeping the head as a trophy is an age-old tradition, and it is still followed in some places.
Depleting Habitat: Tigers are described as an umbrella species, so protecting them means protecting their entire habitat and the other animals they share it with, including the prey they eat.
Chinese Medicines: Traditional remedies that use tiger parts have existed for thousands of years. Ironically, there is no scientific proof that they work, yet tigers are still being killed for them.

Save the Tiger from Extinction

Organizations across the globe are working hard to protect this animal. However, given the size of the habitat, it is practically impossible to protect every single animal. Though people are trying, it is still not enough. There are organizations working tirelessly so that each tiger is safe and lives a full natural life.

Governments have banned poaching and created wildlife sanctuaries where tigers can live freely, protected from human beings. But somewhere, the efforts are failing, because of human negligence, and in some places, because of human greed. Corruption has led to cases where the very protectors allowed animals to be killed for money.

So this proves that nothing can defeat the human mind. A tiger will be safe only when human beings understand why it is important and necessary to save it. Building sanctuaries and surrounding them with fences is not enough when one corrupt person can undo all of that in a single night.

A Bengal tiger mother resting with two cubs nestled against her in tall jungle grass — A tiger mother with her cubs. Without urgent action, future generations may never see scenes like this in the wild.

It is high time that all tigers are brought together into high-security protected areas, away from human encroachment. There is no real need to keep them in ordinary zoos and sanctuaries. They would all be better off away from human contact. Some extreme steps are needed so that this animal is protected and bred to increase its numbers.

People need to come together and fight for this species. Normally, we are concerned but we shrug it off, saying wildlife activists will take care of that. What we don't understand is that this animal now needs the help of every single human being. A few hundred people cannot save this species anymore.

We, as co-earthlings of this animal, need to start a revolution so that this king of the jungle can roam freely once again and have no predators. It is time we start doing something. Write about it, donate to the organizations working for tigers, form groups and promote campaigns in support, and most importantly, volunteer to save the tiger from extinction, the organizations need dedicated hands.

Term	What It Means
Endangered	A species facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild if nothing changes. Tigers are classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
Subspecies	A group within a species that looks and behaves differently because it evolved in a particular region. Tigers have 8 subspecies, 3 are already extinct.
Functionally Extinct	When a species still exists (usually in captivity) but can no longer play its natural role in the wild ecosystem. Scientists consider the South Chinese tiger functionally extinct.
Umbrella Species	A wide-ranging species whose protection automatically shelters many other animals and their shared habitat, like an umbrella covering everything beneath it.
Poaching	Illegally hunting or capturing wild animals, often for profit. Poaching for tiger fur, teeth, and body parts is one of the biggest threats to tiger survival.
Wildlife Sanctuary	A protected area set aside by a government where wild animals can live safely, free from hunting and human disturbance.

Save Tigers from Extinction

The Subspecies

Classification