The population count of the Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica) is zero. This magnificent animal is extinct, having been entirely wiped out from its native Indonesian island habitat. The Bali tiger was one of three distinct island tiger populations in Indonesia, alongside the Javan and Sumatran tigers. Its disappearance serves as a tragic reminder of the irreversible consequences of habitat loss and human conflict.
The Definitive Answer: Extinction Status
No Bali tigers remain alive today, either in the wild or in captivity. The species was formally classified as Extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2008, acknowledging its long-term absence. The last confirmed individual was an adult female that was shot in September 1937 near Sumbar Kima in West Bali.
While some unconfirmed reports of sightings persisted into the 1940s and 1950s, the scientific community maintains that the species was functionally lost around the time of World War II. The Bali tiger was the first of the nine recognized tiger subspecies to go extinct in modern times. Only a small number of skins and skulls remain preserved in museum collections globally, serving as the sole physical evidence of its existence.
Geographic and Biological Identity
The Bali tiger was unique, distinguished as the smallest of all known tiger subspecies. Adult males typically weighed between 90 and 100 kilograms, with a total length, including the tail, ranging from 220 to 230 centimeters. This smaller stature was an adaptation to its restricted island environment, which was limited in space and prey availability.
This tiger was endemic to the island of Bali. Its habitat consisted primarily of the dense tropical forests, scrubland, and lowland rainforests. The Bali tiger was an apex predator that preyed upon the limited selection of animals available on the island, including the Javan Rusa deer, wild boar, and Indian muntjac.
Key Drivers of Disappearance
The primary mechanism of the Bali tiger’s extinction was a combination of relentless, targeted hunting and severe habitat destruction. During the colonial era, particularly under Dutch rule, tiger hunting became a popular sport for European settlers and tourists. Hunters utilized heavy steel traps and firearms, often killing multiple tigers in organized expeditions.
Simultaneously, the island’s limited forest cover was rapidly converted for human use, critically shrinking the tiger’s range. The expansion of intensive agriculture, such as irrigated rice paddies and plantations, fragmented the remaining forests, isolating the small tiger population. The Bali tiger was exceptionally vulnerable to these combined pressures.
Legacy and Related Conservation
The loss of the Bali tiger is a cautionary tale in conservation biology, highlighting the danger that small, isolated populations face when confronted with unrestricted human activity. Its extinction demonstrated the need for proactive habitat protection, especially on islands where species have nowhere else to migrate. The lessons learned from this disaster have been influential for the conservation of its closest living relative, the critically endangered Sumatran tiger.
Both the extinct Bali tiger and the surviving Sumatran tiger are now classified under the same subspecies grouping, Panthera tigris sondaica, underscoring their close genetic link. Current conservation efforts in Southeast Asia focus heavily on anti-poaching measures and establishing large, protected corridors of habitat.