OK, I know I promised more posts on the giant panda, and they will come soon. But today I would like to call people’s attention to the imminent crisis surrounding this remarkable big cat.

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is a member of the Panthera lineage, which also includes the jaguar, lion, leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard. Although the earliest Felids began to evolve during the lower Eocene, some 40 million years ago, and it included the already extinct saber-toothed cats, today’s cats diverged from the rest of the cat-like families (Viverravines) during the Oligocene around 30 million years ago.

Today’s tigers are found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia (Sumatra), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Russia (Far East), Thailand and Vietnam. The very sad thing is that the number of wild tigers has fallen by about 95% over the past 100 years. Also sad is the fact they survive in 40% less area than what they occupied only ten years ago. (see attached map of the historical and actual range of the tiger)

Of the eight recognized tiger subspecies, the three smallest and most isolated are already extinct. The Bali tiger was the first to go -last seen in 1939- the Caspian and Javan tigers disappeared around the 1960s and 1970s respectively. Today, with only 20-30 tigers in the wild the South China subspecies appears to be on the verge of extinction as well. The remaining subspecies, Amur (Siberian), Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, and Sumatran are also very threatened.

So what is going on? Guess what, humans, humans and humans. The greatest decline was probably caused by sports hunting during the 19th century and early part of the 20th century. In the early 1990’s the trade in tiger bones for traditional Asian medicines became a major threat. Add to that human-tiger conflict (tigers occasionally feed on humans, it’s generally accidental but it happens) and habitat loss and fragmentation we have the perfect recipe for extinction.

The threat to their habitat comes from the degradation and fragmentation that takes place as human populations growth and tiger populations become more and more isolated. Is something being done? Yes, for instance creative land-use plans have been proposed for countries like Nepal, Thailand, and Russia, seeking to link protected areas via a network of conservation units and ecological corridors with the goal to maintain the integrity of entire metapopulations. Successful habitat restoration projects in Nepal provide incentives to villagers in return for the protection of communal lands.

Now, habitat protection is not enough; sufficient prey needs to be present for this effort to be successful. Many areas in Asia that would otherwise be suitable are devoid of tigers because a shortage of ungulates (tigers’ favorite prey). For this to happen there needs to be better control of ungulates harvest in unprotected areas, along with the complete elimination of hunting activities in the protected areas. The potential for sustainable harvest could really benefit both tigers and humans. Other measures must include stopping tiger trade, strengthening anti-poaching efforts, supporting local conservationists and focusing on implementing new policies and sustainable forestry.

The key to this wonderful animals’ survival will depend on finding ways to meet the needs of both tigers and humans. We are lucky that tigers are great breeders and don’t have the problems that other threatened species like the giant panda have. With proper planning we could double the number of wild tiger populations by 2022.

To learn more about the global efforts to save the tigers you can visit the World Wide Fund Website tigers section

*According to the Chinese horoscope 2010 is the year of the tiger.