International efforts to save the tiger from extinction

Abstract

The Tiger (Panthera (Felis) tigris) has suffered a catastrophic decline in numbers in all countries within its range, so that, today, there are probably no more than 5,000 animals of the eight races remaining in the wild. Although, in certain countries, the Tiger is given protection, in others it is still under heavy persecution. Surviving populations are now too scattered to maintain a viable genetic interchange. The chief cause of the decline has been the massive destruction of forests in Asia, but unrestricted hunting and poisoning and the demand for skins by the fur trade have also been important factors. Strenuous international efforts are now being made to create fourteen special reserves in order to save the Indian Tiger race, of which about 2,350 individuals remain.