Big cats are some of the most gorgeous animals in the world today. But sadly, many of these big cat species are very rare and vulnerable to extinction. There are a total of 38 wild cat species in the world today in the wild; seven of these wild cat species are big cats. The big cat species in the wild today are: 1) lions, 2) tigers, 3) snow leopards, 4) leopards, 5) jaguars, 6) cheetahs and 7) cougars. These big cats can be found in several different continents, from Africa to Asia.
All of the seven different big cat species have different conservation statuses. Some of these big cat species are vulnerable to extinction today, while other big cat species are endangered. The rarest of the big cat species are critically endangered and on the brink of extinction.
There are also different subspecies of these seven big cat species. For example, tigers have several different subspecies. An example of a subspecies of tiger is the Sumatran tiger.
In this list, we will take into consideration both species and subspecies of big cats in our list, creating a list of the top five most endangered big cat species in the world today.
Number Five: Sumatran Tiger
Sumatran tigers are one of the subspecies of tigers that exist in the wild today. Sumatran tigers are also known as Sunda tigers. These beautiful big cats are not only one of the rarest big cat species in the wild today, they are also one of the rarest tiger subspecies today.
The Sumatran tiger is a subspecies of tiger which is found on the island of Sumatra, in Indonesia. Sumatra is known for its beautiful rainforests and unique wild animals, such as Sumatran rhinos and Sumatran tigers. Sadly though, many of Sumatra's animals are faced with extinction today. Deforestation is the biggest threat to the Sumatran rainforest today.
The deforestation of the Sumatran rainforest is a threat to the existence of the wild animals which live within this rainforest, including: the Sumatran tiger. The destruction of the Sumatran rainforest is being caused by people clearing the rainforest so they can put palm oil plantations in place of the rainforest. Clearing the rainforest for palm oil plantations is pushing animals like the Sumatran tiger to the brink of extinction. Today, Sumatran tigers are very close to extinction. Sumatran tigers are currently critically endangered, there are only thought to be less than 400 individual Sumatran tiger remaining in the wild today, and sadly, their population is decreasing.
Number Four: Malayan Tigers
Sumatran tigers aren't the only subspecies of tiger which is critically endangered, another subspecies of tiger which is critically endangered is: the Malayan tiger. Today, there are thought to be less than 200 Malayan tigers left in the wild today. Due to their very low population, Malayan tigers are at risk of extinction in the future. They are also at risk of extinction due to the threats they face in the wild today.
These beautiful big cats face threats including: deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade. In 2013 it was reported that Malaysia had the highest deforestation rate in the world. It was also reported in the same year that 80% of Malaysia's rainforest was destroyed by logging. Sadly, Malayan tigers are not solely threatened by deforestation, these animals are also threatened with the illegal wildlife trade. The illegal wildlife trade has been so damaging for Malayan tigers that their population declined in 2014 because of the illegal wildlife trade.
Malaysian tigers are only found in Malaysia.
Number Three: Indochinese Tigers
The third, and last, of our most endangered tiger subspecies in the wild on this list is: the Indochinese tiger. The Indochinese tiger is the rarest tiger in the wild today, but, they are not the rarest tiger in the world today. The rarest tiger in the world today is, the South-China tiger. However, the South-China tiger hasn't been seen in the wild for almost three decades now. It seems likely that the South-China tiger is now extinct in the wild, or, at the very least, if they still live in the wild, then their population is likely very low. However, there are South-China tigers in captivity, in places like zoos in China, so these big cats are not extinct.
As this list is about the most endangered big cats in the wild today, we are not going to include the South-China tiger. Instead, we will focus on the most endangered tiger subspecies in the wild today, which is: the Indochinese tiger. The Indochinese tiger is endangered, there are only thought to be around 350 Indochinese tigers left in the wild today. Sadly, Indochinese tigers were declared extinct in Laos in December of last year.
Indochinese Tigers are found in a few different countries within Asia.
Number Two: Amur Leopards
Amur leopards are one of the worlds most gorgeous big cat species. But sadly, these beautiful animals are also one of the rarest big cat species in the world today.
Amur leopards are on the brink of extinction. There are now only around 84 (or just more than 84) individual Amur leopards in the wild today. These beautiful cats are only found in forests within some parts of Russia, they are found nowhere else in the world. Even though there is only a very small population of Amur leopards left in the wild today, these big cats have been a conservation success lately. The Amur leopard population has been increasing lately and it's thought that their population could be as high as 100 individual cats today.
In 2007, it looked like the Amur leopard was close to extinction, as there were only between 25 and 34 Amur leopards in the wild by 2007. The Amur leopard has been brought back from the brink of extinction, but, these big cats are still very vulnerable to extinction today.
Number One: Asiatic Cheetah
The rarest and most endangered big cat in the wild today is: the Asiatic cheetah. The Asiatic cheetahs are one-of-two cheetahs in the wild today. The other cheetah species is the African cheetah, which is a lot more numerous in their population. It is thought that there are just over 7,000 African cheetahs in the wild today.
The population of the Asiatic cheetah is much lower than that of the African cheetah. Asiatic cheetahs once roamed throughout Asia. Today, however, these big cats are only found within Iran. Asiatic cheetahs are very close to extinction today, there are only thought to be 50 individual Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild today, making these big cats not just the worlds most endangered big cat species, but also one of the worlds most endangered wild animals.
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