site

  1. Home
    1. Our Solutions
      1. By location
        1. Terai Arc Landscape
          1. The area
            1. Species

WWF Goal

To more than double the tiger population to 7,000 individuals by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022.

Quick facts

  • Of the 9 tiger subspecies, 3 have gone extinct in the past century.
  • The tail of an adult tiger can be up to 95 cm long.
  • Stripe patterns differ from one individual to another, and from one side of the body to the other.
  • Tigers are typically solitary hunters, preying mainly on deer and wild pig.
  • Depending on prey abundance, territories can range from 10–400km2 (females) and 30–1,000km2 (males).
  • Tigers are never replaced on their range until they die.

Tiger (Panthera tigris)

The tiger is the largest species of all cats.

Tiger is one of the most significant species. There are 121 adult tigers throughout Nepal.

Survival threatened by demand for poached products

Unique "bar code" provided by nature
The tiger is the largest species of all cats. An adult tiger can measure nearly 3 metres from the nose to the tip of the tail, and can weigh more than 250 kg. Tigers can be differentiated easily since the pattern of stripes is unique to each individual.


Adult tigers are mainly solitary. However, sometimes 2 tigers with neighbouring territories may have a friendly interaction with each other. Tiger cubs follow their mother until the age of two. Even though the willingness to catch a moving prey is instinctive in tigers, a long learning process is needed to acquire the skills necessary to catch a wary and fast prey animal.

The world has already lost 3 of 9 tiger subspecies

Tigers are facing a serious danger of becoming extinct in the wild. During the last 100 years, their numbers have collapsed by 95% - from 100,000 tigers in the world in the year 1900 to as low as 3,200 tigers that exist in the wild today.

Tiger pug-marks.
All body parts in high demand
A major threat for the survival of tigers is poaching. The demand for tiger parts in the black market is estimated to be so high that all the tigers in the world put together would not be able to meet it.

Fast and effective action is needed to protect the remaining tiger population. Another problem at hand are the increasing instances of conflicts with people resulting in casualties on both sides.

  • Common Name

    Tiger; Tigre (Fr); Tigre (Sp)

  • Scientific Name

    Panthera tigris spp.

  • Status

    IUCN: Endangered A2bcd+4bcd; C1+2a(i) CITES: Appendix I

  • Population

    Possibly as few as 3,200 individuals

  • Habitat

    Indo-Malayan, Palearctic

  • Length

    140-280 cm

  • Horizontal Leap

    up to 10 meters

  • Did you know?

    It is reported that at 11 months, juveniles are already capable of killing prey

What WWF is doing

WWF's tiger conservation strategy and action plan - Conserving Tigers in the Wild: A WWF Framework Strategy for Action 2002-2010 - identifies seven focal tiger landscapes where the chances of long-term tiger conservation are best, and four additional areas where conservation opportunities are good.

In each of the focal landscapes, WWF aims to establish and manage effective tiger conservation areas, reduce the poaching of tigers and their prey, eliminate the trade in tiger parts and products, create incentives that will encourage local communities and others to support tiger conservation, and build capacity for tiger conservation.