All World's Tigers Extinct in 15-20 Years Without Better Conservation Efforts
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY 
on 10.28.09
photo: Photos8.com via flickr.
Recently we heard that Africa's elephants face a bleak future, but it seems the world's tigers aren't long for this world either. The Economic Times reports that at the Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop, the latest numbers show that the world population of 3,500 tigers could all be extinct in 15-20 years without better conservation efforts:
One hundred years ago the global tiger population was estimated to be about 100,000 individuals, but habitat loss and poaching have taken a huge toll. In the past ten years alone tiger habitat has declined by 40% due to deforestation.
Illegal trade in tiger skins and parts is worth about $20 billion a year, according to Interpol; and recent investigations have revealed that, at least in China, efforts to stop the trade are failing.
Current market prices for tiger skins range from $11,660 to nearly $22,000; tiger bones, used in traditional Chinese medicine fetch $1250 per kilo.
Tigers are still found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
via: Economic Times
Tigers
China Failing to Stop Gangster's Tiger Trade - Investigators Offered Many Leopard Skins Too
Shock: Ultra-Rare Tiger Dismembered at Zoo and Sold on Chinese Black Market
Tigers Given a Bit More Breathing Room in Nepal - Bardia National Park Expanded
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Nothing Can Ever Replace Face-to-Face Activism
- Troops Use Aircraft to Protect Chimps from Incoming Lava
- Save Wild Salmon, Nature and Our Future
- World's Least Known Bird Found Breeding in Afghanistan
- Vancouver Forced to Import Snow to Winter Olympics
- How To Buy Humane Eggs - What to Know, and What You Can Forget
Comments ()
