We have lost 97% of our wild tiger population in the last 100 years.There are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild today. The largest of all Asian cats, tigers weigh from 220-660 pounds and can be from 4-10 feet long. Tigers rely on tropical rainforest, evergreen forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands, savannas and temperate forests for their hunting habitat. Tigers typically hunt alone and depend on sight and sound to find their prey. A tiger can consume up to 88 pounds of meat at one time. Tigers typically give birth to 2-3 cubs every 2-2.5 years. About half of all cubs die before they are 2 years old. The Amur (Siberian) tiger is the largest subspecies of tiger with males weighing up to 660 pounds! The Sumatran tiger is the smallest subspecies and usually only reach around 310 pounds. The greatest threat to tigers in the wild is loss of habitat. Tigers have lost 93% of their habitat due to deforestation and urban development. Female tigers are thought to have a home territory of about 7.7 miles while males typically have around 23-39 miles, overlapping several female territories for breeding purposes. Tigers are great swimmers and can be found in the water on hot days, which in their range is nearly every day! Tiger conservation through World Wildlife Fund concentrates on maintaining current habitat space and teaching locals about tigers. Many Asians, especially the Chinese, still believe that tiger parts cure illness and provide other health benefits. They still hunt tigers for their parts and skins and hopefully, with education, this practice will stop. Conservation Parks have been set up in India and other parts of their range in hopes of preserving what little space they have left. Poaching is illegal and rangers keep watch on the park at all times. In my next segment I will be discussing the U.S. tiger situation, which is so uncontrolled and unfortunate that, for me, it is hard to believe that intelligent citizens still allow these things to go on here.
This map shows the tiger's range in 1850 in yellow/beige
and their range in 2006 in green
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