Many articles ago we wrote that only 4,000 tigers existed in the wild.It appears we were way off; the number is actually much lower. Conservationists now say fewer than 1,400 wild tigers exist.
Forty years ago Project Tiger started in India, which set aside 27 Tiger Reserves. Confidence ran high that this project would bring back the tiger numbers, but this is no longer true. Poaching and loss of habitat in India continue to decimate the species.
This week two tiger cubs were found dead, presumably poisoned by Indian villagers upset over a tiger killing goats. The cubs were in Ranthambore, a tiger reserve that covers several hundred square kilometers and that is visited by 200,000 tourists each year.
As of 2009, forty tigers inhabited the park. The park is surrounded by almost 100 villages, however, and the inhabitants will kill the tigers if they feel their livestock is threatened.
And, with tiger pelts fetching up to $12,500 in China, plenty of poaching still takes place. The government of India has been unable to stop the poaching. In some areas of the country continued violence and civil unrest has made it impossible for conservationists to work.
It’s hard not to be pessimistic about the situation, but it is very likely our generation will be the last to see tigers in the wild.
