1. The Siberian Tiger

2. Facts about the Siberian tiger They are the only cats that are not afraid to go fully underwater They have the largest teeth in the cat family since the saber tooth tiger The claws are kept in when resting or walking. Long, sharp claws spring out when hunting.

3. Why is it going extinct?  Illegal Poaching (meat as delicacy, fur is prestigious to own, bone used in Asian medicine)  Loss of habitat (Illegal logging)  Hunted for the thrill of taking down a predator  Road killed(roads cut through the tiger’s territory)

4. What can humans do to protect it?  Have patrols occasionally patrol the habitat  Encourage others to avoid traditional Chinese medicines that use tiger body parts.  Provide occasional health care.  introduce potential preys  Build a fence along roads that cut through the tigers’ territory  Raise cups on farm

5. Why should we save it?  The tiger is at the top of the food chain in all the ecosystems it lives in. As such, it keeps populations of deer, wild pig, antelope and gaur in check. Without the tiger to control them these prey species would expand.  This excessive population would then totally ravage its food source - vegetation. If the vegetation in the Tigers’ habitat was devastated, smaller animals and insects would not survive there.  If the insects moved to the crops in farmlands vital food sources could be lost, impacting on human populations.  If plants can no longer grow in the tigers’ habitat the soil will become infertile and eventually the vegetation- and all that depend on it - will fade away.