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- Tigers are listed as endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and their population has plummeted from 100,000 to about 4,000 today.
- The main causes of the decline in tiger populations are poaching for medicinal use and habitat destruction, and the international community is making various efforts to protect tigers, such as the CITES Convention and the TX2 campaign.
- As of 2023, the tiger population has increased compared to 10 years ago, but the situation is still not safe, and continued attention and effort are needed to protect tigers.
A tiger, a common sight at zoos. Did you know that tigers, a familiar animal to us, are endangered?
IUCN
Tigers are listed as endangered (EN) on the Red List published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is difficult to believe that tigers are endangered because they can easily be seen at zoos, but the number of tigers living in the wild is declining.
IUCN
The areas marked in red in the photo are where tigers have become extinct. They have already become extinct in the Korean Peninsula, and wild tigers are reported not to exist in parts of China and India. Currently, there are estimated to be around 4,000 tigers living in the wild around the world. Some people may ask, “There are still 4,000 tigers living? Why are they endangered?” But 100 years ago, there were about 100,000 tigers living. In other words, the tiger population has decreased by about 96% in just a century.
Humans are largely responsible for this sharp decline in the tiger population. In ancient East Asian regions, tiger bones and skins were used to make medicinal herbs. The indiscriminate hunting of tigers to obtain these herbs caused the tiger population to decline. In the past, when the concept of endangered species did not exist, such overexploitation of animals was common.
Habitat destruction also had a significant impact on the tiger population. Tigers typically roam over large areas, such as forests and grasslands, but as humans developed these areas, tigers lost their habitats, resulting in considerable damage to the tiger population.
IUCN
Tigers, with their fierce and strong-looking faces, are often featured as characters in famous animations such as "Winnie the Pooh" and "The Jungle Book." Perhaps we have only been interested in "tigers as characters" rather than "real wild tigers"? What efforts are humans making to repay the debt they owe to tigers?
The international community is making various efforts to protect endangered tigers. In 1973, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) entered into the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Tigers are animals whose capture and trade are prohibited under this convention.
In 2010, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in cooperation with the Indian government, launched the “TX2” campaign with the slogan “Double the Tigers by 2022” to double the global tiger population by 2022. As a result, the tiger population, which was only about 3,200 in 2010, increased to about 4,000 as of 2023.
pixabay
Thanks to the efforts of various organizations to conserve the tiger population, the number of tigers has increased compared to 10 years ago. However, it is too early to be reassured as there is still no clear increasing trend. Tigers, always fierce and strong-looking, are in danger of extinction due to human ignorance and greed. It seems that continued human interest in tigers is necessary.
Every year, July 29th is “International Tiger Day.” How about taking an interest in endangered tigers at least one day a year?
