A new warning, from a leading wildlife charity - Born Free, has said the Tigers could become extinct withing the next ten years.
According to Born Free, there are now only 4% of Tigers remaining in the wild; they say that 96% of the Tiger population has already been wiped out. This is also supported by the WWF, who say that 96% of the wild Tiger population has already been wiped out. This means that today, there are probably fewer than 4,000 individual Tigers remaining in the wild today.
Considering the Tiger is an elusive animal, and their fur coat makes it difficult for wildlife conservationists to see them in the wild, it is not exactly known how many there are in the wild today. However, wildlife conservationoists strongly believe that there are probably fewer than 4,000 Tigers, but no more than 4,000 Tigers.
Tigers Are Critically Endangered
Due to the Tiger population being very small, it means that these animals are critically endangered. When an animal is critically endangered, they are one status and step to being listed as extinct. If there are further declines to the Tigers population, then that could result in them becoming extinct within the next 10 years.
Why Are They Critically Endangered?
Tigers in the early 20th century had a healthy population - there was thought to have have been over 100,000 Tigers that existed in the early 20th century. However, due to people heavily hunting these animals, the Tiger population shrunk dramatically throughout the 20th century. Throughout the latter half of the century and into the 21st, poaching, as well as a significant loss in the Tigers habitat has resulted in these animals declining even further.
Now, Tigers are sadly Critically Endangered.
And near extinction.
What Threats Do They Face Today?
Tigers face similar threats today. However, poaching is one of the main threats to this animal today. Habitat loss is also a significant threat to the Tiger today. Especially in places like India, where there is a fastly growing human population. That human population is set to grow so fast over the next few years, that India will overtake China has the worlds most populated country.
That will be disastrous for Tigers, as more humans will mean more land cleared for human settlements. More land loss for the Tiger will results in these animals declining further. It's something that could sadly see their extinction - and within our lifetime.