The tiger is widely known to be an iconic symbol in cultures and
religions all across Eurasia. It is the top predator in its environment
with virtually no natural threats, other than individuals of the same
species. Despite this reverence for this majestic creature, in just the past century we have seen a 95% decrease in the number of wild tigers worldwide (1). Within the last 80 years alone, three of the original nine
subspecies of tigers have gone extinct; with the Bengal, Siberian, Sumatran,
Malayan, Indochinese and South Chinese tigers all under endangered
listings by the IUCN (2).
<http://www.animal-photos.org/photo/9563.html>
The
Bengal tiger is the most numerous of the six remaining subspecies. It was originally listed as an endangered species in 2008, but had to be re-listed in 2010 because of outdated conservation techniques. The current number of Bengal
tigers is estimated to be 1,706
individuals, which is an increase from the 2006 estimate of 1,411 (3).
<Original figure created based on information provided by http://www.defencejournal.com/globe/august/tiger.htm>
The Bengal
tiger's ranges cover India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, living in
environments such as lowland forests, isolated islands, the Himalayan
foothills, and Tiger Conservation Units.
Tiger reserves range from 1,100 square miles to 8,800 square miles (4). This may seem like ample habitat to support populations of
Bengal tigers, but surveys conducted by conservationists in the past 6 years have actually
documented a 12.6% decrease in tiger habitat (5).
<http://pictures-of-cats.org/wp-content/uploads/images/Tiger-distribution-1.png>
References
1. "Bengal Tiger." Bengal Tiger. World Wildlife Fund. Web <http:''worldwildlife.org/species/bengal-tiger>
2. Tigers forever. N.P., 2011. Web. <http://www.panthera.org/programs/tigers-forever>
3. Jhala, Y.V., Qureshi, Q. and Sinha, P.R. 2011. Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt of India and the Wildlife Institute of India, New Delhi and Dehra Dun, India.
4. "Bengal Tiger." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_tiger>
5. Chundawat, R.S., Khan, J.A. & Mallon, D.P. 2011. Panthera tigris ssp. tigris. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>.
