ANTHOLOGY

Extinction of Tiger!!

Despite their beauty and iconic status, tigers are in great danger. Across their range tigers have been relentlessly massacred by poachers to the point of extinction or becoming endangered, depending on the species.

These majestic big cats are instantly recognizable – and heavily poached. 97 percent of the tiger population has disappeared in the last century. Only 3,200 of these majestic creatures remain in the wild. All tiger species are now considered endangered, due in large part to the market for their pelts, meat and body parts.

The largest member of the feline family, tigers originally inhabited a vast region of land all the way from Turkey throughout South and Southeast Asia to the far eastern shore of the continent. Today, they are found only in South and Southeast Asia, China and scattered parts of the far east of Russia.

Tiger populations have been declining for many years due to poaching, loss of habitat, and other human conflict. There are 10 recognized tiger subspecies. One, the Trinil, became extinct in prehistoric times. The remaining subspecies all survived at least into the mid-20th century; three of these – The Bali tiger, The Caspian/Turan tiger and The Javan tiger are extinct. The remaining six tiger subspecies – namely the Siberian, Bengal, Sumatran, South-China, Indochinese, and Malayan tigers - have been classified as endangered by IUCN. The Bengal tiger, the most numerous of the subspecies, still only boasts a wild population of around 2,500. Major reasons for population decline include habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching. The extent of area occupied by tigers is estimated at less than 1,184,911 km2 (457,497 sq. mi), a 41% decline from the area estimated in the mid-1990s.

Conservation of Tigers is very much important as if the tigers get extinct this can result in the Upsetting the Ecological Balance, Negative impacts for human welfare and economic development, Loss of ecotourism opportunities, Climate change and then we would have to take the blame....Mankind would have to make a big apology to future generations which would never get the chance to see the biggest of all cats, one of the most majestic, beautiful, amazing creatures ever to walk the Earth. Extinction is permanent, and it is the failings of modern man – habitat destruction, unnecessary hunting and poaching for monetary greed – which have driven tigers onto the verge of extinction. Therefore, all of this is not just about saving a beautiful animal. It is about making sure that WE live a little longer as the forests are known to provide ecological services like clean air, water, pollination, temperature regulation etc. 

Despite the grave threats facing the world's last surviving wild tigers, there is hope. There should always be hope. But the global community needs the political will to find new ways of working together and turning talk into action.

If we don't do something immediately to protect and preserve the remaining population, it has been predicted that all tigers may become extinct in the wild within the next decade. That is one of the reasons why passing strong anti - wildlife trafficking laws and tiger protections are so urgent.