Tigers are becoming endangered species.

And if we don’t take care of them, then we might see them no more when we grow up. If they all die and there are no more new tigers born, then we will only have memories of them from some old pictures in the text books or in some picture exhibitions. But we will not be able to see them ever again. Never.


According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, there has been 60 percent drop in the tiger population across four states. And do you know why there is a drop in their population?

It is because of poaching by people. The tigers are poached for their beautiful skin. Despite international and domestic bans, a thriving black market for tiger skins and bones threatens to wipe out wild tigers. China, with its booming economy, burgeoning human population and ancient traditions of using tiger parts as medicine and clothing, is the world's leading consumer of tiger products.

Another reason why there is drop in their population is because there is loss of their habitat. TIGERS live in hot jungles as well as in cold forests. All wild tigers live in Asia. Some of them also live in the snowy forests of Siberia. Others live in the humid jungles of Sumatra. And some live in the dry grasslands of India.

All the forests are getting destroyed to make buildings, roads and other constructions.

World Wildlife Fund collaborated with other organizations on the scientific study of tiger habitats ever done. The study finds that tigers reside in 40 percent less habitat than they were thought to a decade ago and now occupy only seven percent of their historic range.

The study also finds that conservation efforts have resulted in some populations remaining stable and even increasing, but concludes that long-term success is only achieved where there is broad landscape-level conservation and buy-in from stake hold
Project Tiger was started in 1973-74. It is one of the most successful conservation ventures in the recent times.

The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted 'tiger reserves', which are representative of various bio-geographical regions falling within our country. It strives to maintain a viable tiger population in the natural environment.

Do you know that tigers are the biggest cats in the world?

There are five different kinds or sub-species of tiger alive in the world today. Tigers are called Panthera tigris in latin, Bagh in hindi & Bengali, Kaduva in Malayalam & Pedda Puli in telugu..


Earlier there were 8 kinds of tigers but human killing has left only 5 kinds of them. These are

1. Amur (Siberian) tigers
2. Royal Bengal tigers
3. Indo-chinese tigers
4. South China tigers
5. Sumatran tigers

All these types are different in their size, weight, habits and appearance.

Source:
http://www.savethetigerfund.org/mosaic/
http://www.worldwildlife.org/tigers/
http://projecttiger.nic.in/past.htm