End Tiger Poaching

Tiger

© KARIN SAUCEDO

Threats to Tigers

Poaching is the number one threat to the tiger’s existence and may drive this big cat to extinction.

Tigers are hunted by poachers to meet demand from the $20 billion a year illegal wildlife trade. They are mercilessly targeted for their body parts, including their skins, bones, teeth and other organs.

Every single tiger organ is sold on the black market today. Tiger parts are used for traditional medicines thought to cure ailments ranging from arthritis to epilepsy, with the greatest demand coming from China. Tiger skins and other parts are also used for décor, indicating status and wealth across Asia.

As recently as 100 years ago, upwards of 100,000 wild tigers roamed across Asia. Today, about 3,900 tigers are left in the wild. This catastrophic population decline is driven by a range of threats, including poaching for the illegal wildlife trade.

How Panthera is Helping

Panthera combines the latest in tiger conservation science, cutting-edge technology and law enforcement to target poachers and protect tiger populations.

  • Equipping park rangers with leading technology, including Panthera’s PoacherCam, which alerts law enforcement teams in real time to illegal human entry into protected areas;
  • Maximizing global anti-trafficking efforts to promote better coordination and information sharing amongst governments, conservation partners, and global institutions.
  • Training partners on the ground in the latest law enforcement and intelligence-gathering techniques, as well as methods to safely disable wildlife traps and remove snares; and
  • Measuring results and progress to understand what interventions are most effective, and disseminating lessons learned across organizations, geographies and species.