The tiger is one of the most recognisable species of big cat. There are five sub-species of tiger in the world. From the giant Siberian tigers to the smaller Sumatran, each is under threat from habitat loss, islandisation of habitats as well as over-harvesting. The natural habitats of tigers is being broken up into smaller and smaller patches, as human activity spreads across this highly populated part of the world: Asia. For a healthy breeding population, there may need to be as many as 500 individuals in one area. But since tigers are solitary hunters needing large territories, this means a huge amount of land. With Asia’s human population increasing all the time, there is too much competition for valuable space, and so small patches of forest are left scattered around with only a few tigers in each one. Further pressure comes from the hunting of tigers for skins as well as bones and other body parts for the traditional Chinese medicine market.

To find out more about tigers, see wildfacts.