Transcript tigers - endangered wild life species

Tiger, largest member of the cat family.
It lives in Asia and belongs to the same
genus as the lion, leopard, and jaguar.
Two major subspecies are the Siberian
tiger and the Indian tiger.
Tigers are very good swimmers, often taking
to the water to cool off. Tigers hunt at night,
stalking their prey before they pounce. They
use their sharp retractable claws to grasp
their quarry and their strong teeth to deliver a
fatal bite to the neck.
The rare Siberian tiger measures 1.4 to 2.8 m long,
not including the tail, which is 69 to 95 cm in length,
and weighs 180 to 306 kg . It has thick yellow fur
with dark stripes. The Indian tiger, which is about 3
m long, including the tail, and usually weighs 180 to
258 kg , is found on the mainland of south-eastern
Asia and in central and southern India.
What is the problem?
Tigers are one of the Earth's fastest
disappearing species. At the beginning of
this century there were about 100,000 wild
tigers. Today there are less than 2,500!
Originally, there were nine subspecies of
tiger - 3 of which are now extinct. The 6
remaining tiger species: Amur (Siberian),
Malayan, South China, Indo-chinese, Royal
Bengal and Sumatran all have very shaky
futures.
They are disappearing
from the wild because of:
Habitat Loss - Humans
are getting on tigers' turf.
Poaching - Humans are
illegally hunting tigers.
Population
Fragmentation - Humans
are separating tiger
groups.
What You Can Do to Help!
Tigers are a global resource. Loss of the tiger
doesn't just mean that the tiger, as a species, is
lost. It also indicates an imbalance within an
ecosystem that affects many other life forms. We
can never replace a species once it is lost! Extinct
is forever! So do something!
This South China Tiger subspecies is
almost extinct.
There are no South China Tigers in
the wild.
Only 50-60 remain in captivity.
Feb. 14, 2008) — Laws protecting the
critically endangered Sumatran Tiger have
failed to prevent tiger body parts being
openly sold in Indonesia, according to a new
TRAFFIC report. Tiger body parts, including
canine teeth, claws, skin pieces, whiskers
and bones, were on sale in 10 percent of the
326 retail outlets surveyed during 2006 in 28
cities and towns across Sumatra. Outlets
included goldsmiths, souvenir and traditional
Chinese medicine shops, and shops selling
antique and precious stones.
The latest report was launched
the day after India's National
Tiger Conservation Authority
(NTCA) announced an official
estimate of 1,411 tigers currently
surviving in the wild in India;
more than 50 percent down from
the previous census estimate of
3,642 tigers in 2001-02.
Project Tiger was launched in 1973 with
9 tiger reserves covering an area of
16,339 sq km. By 2000-2001 we had
27 tiger reserves and the area they
covered had increased to 37,761 sq
km. It’s in India’s interest to save the
tiger. The forests which are home to this
member of the cat family are the source
of some of our finest, purest river and
lakes.
Tigers may seem to be cruel and dangerous,
but the world needs these hunting animals.
They do a very important job. If meat eaters
did not kill some of the plant eaters, the plant
eaters would eat up all the plants in places
where they live . Before long ,the land would
turn into desert. Then the plant eaters would
starve. So, this hunting helps to keep nature in
balance.
Tiger Population
Summary
Bengal Tiger:
3,176 - 4,556
Indochinese Tiger:
1,227 - 1,785
Chinese Tiger:
20 - 30 in the wild
Siberian (Amur) Tiger:
360 - 406 in the wild
Sumatran Tiger:
400 - 500
Bali Tiger:
Extinct
Caspian Tiger:
Extinct
Javan Tiger:
Extinct