Endangered Tigers Added to Bagheera.com Case Studies
Of the original nine subspecies of tigers only six subspecies remain. Three subspecies have become extinct in the last 100 years. Of the remaining six subspecies, three are listed as endangered and three are listed as critically endangered. All tigers are in danger of global extinction
Case studies for the remaining six subspecies of tigers have been added to the Endangered Species section of the Bagheera.com website.
The Six Remaining Subspecies of Tigers
The remaining subspecies of tigers are:
The Bengal tiger
The Indochinese tiger
The Malayan tiger
The Siberian tiger
The South China tiger
The Sumatran tiger
From 100,000 Tigers to Less Than 4,000 in 100 Years
In the early 1900’s it was estimated there were over 100,000 tigers in the wild globally. At that time, all nine subspecies could be found roaming the wilds. However, in 2021, those numbers have dwindled to the six-remaining subspecies with only 3,900 wild tigers remaining.
The tiger’s numbers are anything but stable.
One of the remaining subspecies of tigers, the South China tiger is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and as “Possibly Extinct in the Wild.” The last sighting of a South China tiger in the wild was in the 1990’s. And the remaining population of South China tigers are all living in Chinese zoos or breeding centers.
Considering the lack of genetic diversity in the captive population, the South China tiger may become the next tiger subspecies to go extinct.
The Extinct Tigers
The extinct subspecies of tigers are:
The Bali tiger which went extinct in the 1940’s.
The Caspian which tiger went extinct in the 1970’s.
The Javan tiger which went extinct in the 1980’s.
The Threats to Tigers and the Future of Tigers
Tigers have been a victim of many threats including habitat loss, poaching, illegal wildlife trade and human-tiger conflict. These threats to tigers are as real today as they were in the 1900’s when tens of thousands of tigers were wiped off the face of the Earth and when three subspecies were forced into extinction.
There is a great deal of work that must be done to save more subspecies of tigers from becoming extinct. And there are a lot of hard working organizations and individuals trying to do just that. But they need the help in their efforts to save tigers from extinction.
Organizations Saving Tigers
Here are links to a few of those organizations:
World Wildlife Fund
MYCAT
Save China’s Tigers
5 Organizations Working for Tiger Conservation
Supporting organizations working to save tigers is incredibly important. It would be tragic if more of these majestic creatures were driven to extinction because humans didn’t care enough to save them.
Craig Kasnoff
Endangered Species Journalist
MEd Learning Design and Technologies