1.

1 ARTICLE(S) USED FOR THE SPEECH

Being the largest cat species today, capable of reaching 3.38 m and 388 kg, the tiger (Panthera
Tigris) is one of the most recognisable animals around the world. Its reddish-orange fur with
dark stripes is not only unique to tigers (some can have white fur), but also allows them to be
camouflaged in the dense environment that they live in. This camouflage however has not
helped the tiger escape from the eyes of humans, especially over the last century where tiger
populations have declined by 96.1% - from 100,000 to a little over 3,900.

Tigers once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia
and the southern areas of South East Asia. Over the last century, they have lost 93% of their
historic range, and have been eradicated from southwest and central Asia, from the islands of
Java and Bali, and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia, as seen in Figure 1.a.
Today, tigers range from the Siberian taiga in the north of Asia to the tropical mangrove
swamps in the south, with the remaining 6 subspecies of tiger all classified by International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered. The exponential drop in tiger
populations can be seen in Figure 1.b, where the graph shows a considerable decrease in
population; from around 40,000 in the 1970s to 3200 in 2010. In fact there are more tigers in
captivity than there are in the wild today.

In total there have been 9 known species of tigers, 3 of which have become extinct. The six present
today are:

Bengal Tiger
The most common and second largest subspecies of tigers in the world today, residing in the forests of
India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Currently the estimated population of Bengal Tigers is at 2,400,
with 1,700 in India, 450 in Bangladesh, 150 in Nepal and 100 in Bhutan.

Malayan Tiger
Exclusively found in the southern parts of the Malay Peninsula which is situated in South-east Asia. It
was not considered a subspecies until 2004 when genetic analysis showed variation in DNA sequences
from the Indochinese subspecies. As of 2014 the latest reports on the population show that there are
roughly 300 in the world.

Sumatran Tiger
Only found on the island of Sumatra in South-east Asia, it is the only surviving subspecies of the three
Indonesian tiger species. It was listed as a distinct subspecies in 1998 through evidence of unique
genetic markings and is the smallest of all living tigers. The population of Sumatran tigers is estimated
to be around 450, mostly found in the island’s national parks.
Siberian Tiger (Amur Tiger)
It is the largest subspecies of tigers currently living today and inhabits the region of Amur-Ussuri in Far
East Siberia, except for the few which populate the Tiger Reserve in North-east China. As of 2014 the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimated that the population was at around 400. Due to the colder and
harsher climate of Russia, Siberians tigers have developed thicker coats and paler hues to better
camouflage in the whiter environment.
Indochinese Tiger (Corbett's Tiger)
Found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam, it prefers forests in the mountainous
regions and is rarely seen in the wild. The Indochinese tigers’ population is hard to estimate due to its
anti-social behaviour, but the most accurate up-to-date record is at 300.

South China Tiger (Amoy or Xiamen Tiger)

This subspecies is the most critically endangered and is one of the 10 most endangered animals in the
world. Despite unconfirmed reports from inaccurate sources and some evidence of footprints, there
have been no confirmed wild sightings of these tigers for over 25 years. This lead to experts considering
it ‘functionally extinct’ with the entire known population of around 65 held in captivity. It is the second
smallest subspecies and considered the most ancient.

The three known extinct species of tigers are:

Bali Tiger
Lived on the Indonesian island of Bali and was hunted to extinction on 27 September 1937, when the
last of the subspecies was killed. Though there have been reports of sightings in the last century, none
have been confirmed.

Caspian Tiger (Hyrcanian or Turan Tiger)

Was found in the sparse forest habitats and riverine corridors west and south of the Caspian Sea and
east through Central Asia into the Takla-Makan desert of Xinjiang, and had been recorded in the wild
until the early 1970s. The Caspian tiger was formerly found in Chinese and Russian Turkestan,
Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. It is not known when the tiger became extinct, but the most accurate
guess is in the 1960s where the last confirmed sighting of a Caspian tiger was recorded.

Javan Tiger
This subspecies was limited to the island of Java and has been recorded until the mid-1970s. Javan
Tiger After 1979, no more sightings were confirmed in the region of Mount Betiri. An expedition to
Mount Halimun Salak National Park in 1990 did not yield any definite, direct evidence for the
continued existence of tigers.
Figure 1.a The historic and current range of tigers in orange and yellow respectively

Figure 1.b A graph that depicts the dramatic decrease of tiger populations over the last decades
The Wild Tigers Are Roaring Again
ENDANGERED SPECIES

The Wild Tigers Are Roaring Again

by 
Guido Mingels, Guido Mingels
Jul 28, 2017
Stv. Ressortleiter SPIEGEL-
Verlag
guido.mingels@spiegel.de
When compared to the tiger, humans are a somewhat ugly creature. A tiger’s fur and markings
look like they’ve been especially created by designers; we are naked and somewhat ungainly.
The Tiger moves with unparalleled elegance; we totter around on two legs, fighting against
gravity. If god has a sense for beauty, he would surely prefer to let humans go extinct than
tigers.

For a long time, it looked the other way round. Recently though, the news has been increasingly
positive: since 2010, according to the WWF, the number of wild tigers has “for the first time in
over 100 years” risen by just over one fifth. In absolute terms, it doesn’t sound quite so
impressive. The population has increased by 700 in this time, making a total of 3,890 wild tigers
in the world – although some of this increase is due to the effect of improved survey methods.

3,890 wild tigers really aren’t that many. Yet, the WWF believes that “the decline of the
majestic cat can at least be halted”. In 2010, the thirteen “tiger states” (countries in which wild
tigers live) agreed to work towards the target of doubling the population by 2022. They are on
track.

Even polar bears, an animal synonymous with extinction, are apparently faring okay, with many
stock numbers remaining stable. The panda, mascot of the WWF, has seen a population increase
of 17 percent over ten years. The best way to fight the extinction of species is to save species.
Stay calm and carry on.

This post is brought to you in collaboration with German news magazine DER SPIEGEL. The
chart and text were first published by German journalist and author Guido Mingels. It is
available as a book here.

As always, our charts are free to use and share, just quote DER SPIEGEL/Statista as the source
and include a backlink to the graphic's URL (this page).
Figure 1 shows chart shows the global wild tiger population in 2010, 2016 and the target for 2022.