Tiger threats
Human activities are the principal cause of declining tiger numbers. Hunting was a major cause of mortality in the past, both for trophies and as part of organised pest control measures (4). Poaching and illegal killing, for example by livestock owners, remains one of today’s major threats to the survival of this species, particularly with the growing demand for tiger bones in Oriental ‘medicine’ (8).
The demand for remedies made from tiger parts has grown due to increasing affluence in Asia, and laws preventing international trade in tiger parts are largely ignored. Hong Kong is the main importer of tiger products, with tiger bone the most used part. The bones are crushed to be used in anti-inflammatory drugs for rheumatism and arthritis, among many other uses. The trade in tiger skins is also increasing (9).
Habitat loss has occurred throughout much of the tiger's range and is now severely threatening its survival; as land becomes rapidly developed to meet the increasing demands of the Asian population (4), tiger populations become isolated in remaining fragments of wilderness and ultimately die out (2). The tiger's natural prey species have declined in numbers due to over-hunting, which has led tiger’s in some areas to turn to domestic livestock as a source of food, inevitably causing conflict with local farmers