The tiger, one of the world’s most recognized species, is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), reflecting a catastrophic decline in its global population. Historical estimates place the wild tiger population at around 100,000 individuals a century ago, but today, only an estimated 3,726 to 5,578 remain across all remaining subspecies. Tigers now occupy less than seven percent of their original historic range across Asia. This crisis is a direct result of intense human pressure that destabilizes the ecosystems these large cats require to survive.
Destruction of Natural Habitat
The physical loss of the tiger’s living space is a foundational reason for its decline, as human development consumes the forests and grasslands where they hunt and breed. Large-scale deforestation for commercial logging removes the dense cover tigers rely on for stalking prey and raising cubs. The conversion of forest land into massive agricultural operations, such as palm oil and acacia plantations, eliminates territory rapidly, particularly in Southeast Asia. This destruction is also driven by infrastructure projects, including roads, dams, and mining operations, which penetrate previously untouched wilderness areas.
These activities reduce the total area available and cause habitat fragmentation—the breaking up of large, continuous territories into smaller, isolated patches surrounded by human settlements. Since a single male tiger requires a vast home range, these isolated pockets often become too small to sustain a viable population. This isolation prevents tigers from different areas from breeding, leading to a genetic bottleneck where the lack of diversity makes the population susceptible to disease and less capable of adapting to environmental changes.
Illegal Hunting and Wildlife Trade
The direct, targeted killing of tigers represents the most immediate threat to their survival across their range. Poaching is driven by a complex, highly profitable illegal wildlife trade that targets nearly every part of the animal. Tiger bones, skins, teeth, and organs are highly valued in certain markets for use in traditional medicine practices, despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting their efficacy. Skins are also prized as luxury items and status symbols, fueling a black market that operates internationally.
The organization of this trade is sophisticated, often involving transnational criminal networks that are difficult for local enforcement agencies to dismantle. The high price fetched for tiger parts creates a powerful economic incentive for poachers, who frequently use indiscriminate methods like wire snares. The existence of large captive tiger facilities in some Asian countries complicates enforcement efforts by perpetuating the demand for tiger products and providing a mechanism to launder illegally sourced parts.
Declining Prey Base and Human Conflict
The ecological imbalance created by human activity extends to the tiger’s food source, leading to a cycle of human-wildlife conflict. Tigers primarily prey on large wild ungulates such as sambar deer, chital, and wild boar, requiring an average of about 50 of these animals per year to survive. The same human pressures that destroy habitat also deplete these wild prey populations through both habitat loss and local hunting.
When their natural food base disappears, hungry tigers are forced to leave protected areas and venture into human-dominated landscapes to find sustenance. This movement inevitably leads to livestock depredation, where tigers prey on domestic animals like cattle, which are easier to catch than wild game. Farmers and local villagers, whose livelihoods are directly threatened by these losses, often respond with retaliatory killings, using poison or snares to eliminate the perceived threat.