Endangered Tigers
Important Facts about Endangered Tigers
Deep in jungles across countries such as India, China and Surinam, a few species of endangered tigers struggle to survive in an ever changing world that is absorbing their natural habitats.
The tiger is a creature that is thought to have been in existence since prehistoric days, although the famed Sabre Toothed tiger was long extinct before the modern day tiger came into being. A magnificent creature, the tiger is the most recognized and popular of the four classes of “big cats” in the wild. Unfortunately, it has not prevented the worse scenario; endangered, tigers have also become the most threatened cat in the wild.
The largest of all wild cats, tigers once roamed in large numbers. So what has happened over time that now puts these striped hunters on a list for endangered tigers? There are a few factors that have greatly decreased the quantity of tigers in the wild; diminished habitat, poaching and pollution.
While there are a few exceptions, most of the tiger subspecies can be found in densely forested regions. Rainforests, coniferous forests and deciduous wood lands are the common habitats that tigers call home. Their very coats of striped fur were designed specifically for this type of environment, as the stripes provide a camouflage for the cat as they hunt prey. These forests offer the perfect habitat for not the tigers, but for their preferred prey as well. Sadly, the forest cover in Asia alone has diminished by as much as 80% over the past few centuries; the remnants mere pockets of habitat that are surrounded by human designs. Conditions such as these offer little of the necessary environment for either the endangered tigers or their prey. As forests shrink, human domination expands.
Poaching has been the largest reason for the endangered tigers’ plight. Asian countries, such as China and Korea, have attributed the most damage to this end in their continuous search of supposed miracle cures for human ailments. Tiger body parts are routinely harvested, despite poaching laws, for use as medicines and aphrodisiacs by the Asian population. In response to China’s ban of the sale/purchase of any tiger related items, the illegal poaching has increased exponentially to meet demand.
In order to survive, tigers need three simple items: clean forests, water and prey. Over the years, as Asian and Indian cultures have evolved to embrace modern technology, pollution in these countries has risen to an alarming level as well. The pollution affects the wildlife of the region through contamination of the land, the water and the air; the very essentials necessary to the well being of wild creatures.
Through disappearing habitats, poaching and pollution issues, the species has gone from magnificent cats to endangered tigers. Only through diligent efforts in this ever changing world will save these beautiful creatures from eventual extinction.