2. Tiger, largest member of the cat family. It lives in Asia and belongs to the same genus as the lion, leopard, and jaguar. Two major subspecies are the Siberian tiger and the Indian tiger.

3. Tigers are very good swimmers, often taking to the water to cool off. Tigers hunt at night, stalking their prey before they pounce. They use their sharp retractable claws to grasp their quarry and their strong teeth to deliver a fatal bite to the neck.

4. The rare Siberian tiger measures 1.4 to 2.8 m long, not including the tail, which is 69 to 95 cm in length, and weighs 180 to 306 kg. It has thick yellow fur with dark stripes. The Indian tiger, which is about 3 m long, including the tail, and usually weighs 180 to 258 kg, is found on the mainland of south-eastern Asia and in central and southern India.

6. Tigers are one of the Earth's fastest disappearing species. At the beginning of this century there were about 100,000 wild tigers. Today there are less than 2,500! Originally, there were nine subspecies of tiger - 3 of which are now extinct. The 6 remaining tiger species: Amur (Siberian), Malayan, South China, Indo-chinese, Royal Bengal and Sumatran all have very shaky futures. What is the problem?

7. They are disappearing from the wild because of: Habitat Loss - Humans are getting on tigers' turf. Poaching - Humans are illegally hunting tigers. Population Fragmentation - Humans are separating tiger groups.

8. What You Can Do to Help! Tigers are a global resource. Loss of the tiger doesn't just mean that the tiger, as a species, is lost. It also indicates an imbalance within an ecosystem that affects many other life forms. We can never replace a species once it is lost! Extinct is forever! So do something!

9. This South China Tiger subspecies is almost extinct. There are no South China Tigers in the wild. Only 50-60 remain in captivity.

10. Feb. 14, 2008) — Laws protecting the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger have failed to prevent tiger body parts being openly sold in Indonesia, according to a new TRAFFIC report. Tiger body parts, including canine teeth, claws, skin pieces, whiskers and bones, were on sale in 10 percent of the 326 retail outlets surveyed during 2006 in 28 cities and towns across Sumatra. Outlets included goldsmiths, souvenir and traditional Chinese medicine shops, and shops selling antique and precious stones.

11. The latest report was launched the day after India's National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) announced an official estimate of 1,411 tigers currently surviving in the wild in India; more than 50 percent down from the previous census estimate of 3,642 tigers in 2001-02.

12. Project Tiger was launched in 1973 with 9 tiger reserves covering an area of 16,339 sq km. By 2000-2001 we had 27 tiger reserves and the area they covered had increased to 37,761 sq km. It’s in India’s interest to save the tiger. The forests which are home to this member of the cat family are the source of some of our finest, purest river and lakes.

13. Tigers may seem to be cruel and dangerous, but the world needs these hunting animals. They do a very important job. If meat eaters did not kill some of the plant eaters, the plant eaters would eat up all the plants in places where they live. Before long,the land would turn into desert. Then the plant eaters would starve. So, this hunting helps to keep nature in balance.

14. Tiger Population Summary Bengal Tiger:3,176 - 4,556 Indochinese Tiger:1,227 - 1,785 Chinese Tiger:20 - 30 in the wild Siberian (Amur) Tiger:360 - 406 in the wild Sumatran Tiger:400 - 500 Bali Tiger:Extinct Caspian Tiger:Extinct Javan Tiger:Extinct