The Shrinking Tiger Population

1750 Words4 Pages

George Bernard Shaw quotes, “When a man wants to murder a tiger, he calls it sport, when a tiger wants to murder him, he calls it ferocity.” In the 1900s the tiger population was over 100,000 counting all nine subspecies; however their population has pummeled to an estimated 4,000 to 7,000, which accounts for only six of the nine subspecies. Three in which have already been extinct since the early to mid 1900s (WWF). Tigers are one of the largest species in the cat family and also one of the fastest disappearing species in the world due to human-tiger conflicts. Consequently, they have been labeled endangered under the Endanger Species Appendix and critically endangered in the wild (Fox). Tigers are rapidly disappearing, growing near extinction therefore as the superior species of the world we are obligated to save the tigers from endangerment and potential extinction because the tiger’s existence is significant in creating a balance in the world’s ecosystem. Although the tiger is a relatively popular species, an exceptionally a small amount of people and groups do not know about them, especially subjects regarding their endangerment. In a recent questionnaire, conducted on 34 individuals at Washington Union High School of Fresno, California, an alarming 94.1% did not hear any recent news regarding tigers nor their endangerment. Oddly enough, 76.5% claims that tigers are considered endangered. What’s more alarming is the fact that none of the individuals questioned knew that tigers had subspecies or how many there were. Furthermore, 73.5% believe that it is necessary for the United States’ government to support other nations in their endangered species projects (Vang). This shows that not many people pay attention to tigers. More... ... middle of paper ... ...d, providing a better chance in actually saving the tigers from the brink of extinction. The tiger population is rapidly disappearing from the world due to heavy poaching, illegal trading and use, as well as global warming. Due to heavy poaching the tigers are often killed for unnecessary reasons such as its prized fur and high demand and use as medicine in China. The extinction of tigers will cause a rapid increase in the population of a tiger’s regular prey as well as increase in the human population. The declination of the human death rate as a result of tiger attacks can cause overpopulation, especially in for India and China, which holds two of the world’s largest population. In addition, the depletion of the tiger population will cause a stir in the world’s ecosystem; therefore the fight for tiger conservation should be acknowledged and continually enforced.

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