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Scientific
Name: Panthera tigris tigris
Size: 1 metre at shoulder
Weight: 250 kgs
IUCN Endangered Species?: Endangered
Estimated Wild Population: less
than 3000
Distribution: India and surrounding
countries
Description: Also known as the Bengal tiger, this is the least
endangered of all five tiger subspecies.
Until recent times there were an additional 3 subspecies.
The Caspian and Javan tigers became extinct in the early 1970s
and the Bali tiger in the 1940s. One of the reasons for the relative success of the Indian
tiger is that it has been provided sanctuary within the large national
parks of India. Even so,
many of the tigers in India do not reside in protected areas.
The money made through tourism to the parks generates income for
government and local people, thus making wildlife conservation more of
an incentive. It is issues
such as this which often need to be overcome before any successful
reintroduction or conservation programme can take place.
It is of no use returning animals to the wild if their survival
is unlikely.
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