Tiger Stories

  • Can organic cotton help protect tigers?*

    WWF Magazine: Winter 2024
    Here's how small-scale farming in wildlife corridors benefits people and biodiversity
    A tiger crosses the road in front of a crowd watching
  • Transformative tigers: Nature’s charismatic climate heroes

    July 26, 2024

    Tigers deserve recognition as mighty climate heroes. Tigers bring balance to their ecosystems as top predators, keep forests healthy by preventing overgrazing, and contribute to biodiversity where they live. Their status as icons is also important in protecting vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems, as they raise significant funds for conservation initiatives.

    Tiger sits at the edge of water in mangrove forest
  • In Viet Nam, rescued tigers find a safe haven

    May 30, 2024

    When tigers are confiscated from the illegal trade or voluntarily surrendered by owners, they are transported to the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center where they are cared for, alongside other rescued animals, like birds and reptiles.

    Close up of a tiger's face with blurred enclosure in the foreground
  • Why tiger landscapes need sustainable financing now

    April 09, 2024

    After decades of conservation efforts, global wild tiger numbers have been increasing, but the progress is fragile, and we can’t afford to lose momentum. What’s the next urgent step for them? We must pounce on sustainable financing so that we can continue our conservation progress.

    Tiger caught on camera trap in Nepal
  • Stemming the flow of illegal wildlife trafficking in Viet Nam

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2024
    The illegal trafficking of wildlife through, to, and from Viet Nam is a long-standing issue, but impressive strides to curb the problem have been made in recent years.
    Tiger looking out through a cage
  • How to ensure your visit to a big cat sanctuary does no harm

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2024
    Some facilities are focused on turning a profit (think: photos with tiger cubs) instead of offering sanctuary or any conservation value.
    Illustration of 2 hands holding a tiger
  • Improving captive tiger management in Viet Nam

    February 22, 2024

    Under the USAID Saving Threatened Wildlife project, WWF supports Viet Nam’s efforts to reduce illegal wildlife trafficking by engaging with leaders in the Vietnamese government, private sector, and civil society. WWF-Viet Nam and its governmental and NGO partners have been advocating for and working towards stronger regulation and management of Viet Nam’s captive tiger facilities.

    We sat down with Anh Le from WWF-Viet Nam to find out more about this critical work and how it’s helping to protect tigers in Viet Nam and across Asia.

    Tiger standing in a caged area
  • Camera traps showcase Malaysia’s incredible biodiversity

    November 09, 2023

    Months after their initial setup, the camera traps revealed the rich diversity of wildlife in one of the world’s oldest forests and what’s at stake if poaching, deforestation, and human-wildlife conflict are not addressed.

    tiger looks into camera trap in Royal Belum State Park, Malaysia
  • Thriving Tigers, Thriving Forests

    WWF Magazine: Winter 2023
    The high-definition camera traps captured the presence of an impressive array of animals—including barking deer, clouded leopard, langur, dhole, tapir, elephant, and sun bear.
    Aerial photo of fog-shrouded forest
  • New tiger population estimate of 5,574 wild tigers announced by Global Tiger Forum

    September 11, 2023

    The new population estimate from the Global Tiger Forum is about 5,574 wild tigers. Since the 2010 tiger population estimate notable advancements in how we invest and monitor tigers can be seen in this new number which demonstrates about a 74% increase.

    Tiger and cub in grasslands of Ranthambhore, Rajhasthan, India
  • In an astounding achievement, Bhutan tiger numbers grow by 27%

    July 29, 2023

    As a result of a longstanding and steadfast commitment to conservation, Bhutan has increased the number of tigers within its borders by 27% since 2015—an astounding achievement. There are now an estimated 131 tigers in this eastern Himalayan country, according to the most recent survey conducted in 2021 and 2022.

    Two Bhutan Tigers
  • Trailing tigers in an Indian wildlife sanctuary

    Each tiger sighting represented a symbol of hope, even defiance. Despite mounting threats, tiger numbers in India have continued to rise steadily in the last decade. That success, we saw firsthand, is thanks in no small part to local communities and conservationists.

    Three tigers lounge in green grass in India
  • Rare video of tigress and three cubs in Thailand

    March 03, 2023

    Incredible footage of a tigress and her three cubs was recorded in western Thailand last year. With only 148-189 wild tigers in all of Thailand, a tiger sighting is rare and even rarer to see a tigress with three well-developed cubs.

    A mother tiger leads her three cubs through forest in Thailand
  • WWF’s Dechen Dorji on keeping the spirit of the Year of the Tiger close to our hearts

    February 21, 2023

    Tigers have faced unprecedented threats for many years, but conservation efforts over the past decade have shown that recovering tigers from the brink of extinction is possible when we transcend boundaries and work together.

    Dechen Dorji stands in front of tall snowy peaks on a sunny day
  • In a win for wild tigers, the US Senate passes major legislation against wildlife crime

    December 07, 2022

    In a major win for tigers, the US Senate passed legislation that will help prevent captive tigers from ending up in the illegal trade of their parts and products—a primary threat to big cats in the wild. The Big Cat Public Safety Act now goes to President Biden to sign.

    A tiger walks through the snow on a sunny day in China
  • International wildlife trade talks lead to more protections for animals

    December 02, 2022

    This year’s conference concluded with several positives for wildlife with new and renewed global protections against poaching, illegal, and unsustainable trade in wild animals and plants that could help reverse trends driving the loss of global biodiversity.

    A large leatherback turtle sits on the beach with the ocean behind it
  • How wildlife help combat the climate crisis

    November 29, 2022

    Combatting climate change helps save wildlife populations around the globe, but the reverse is also true: Wildlife conservation plays an essential role in regulating our climate. By saving wildlife, we help save the planet, including ourselves.

    Sea otter closeup of face
  • Nepal nearly triples its wild tiger population

    July 29, 2022

    Nepal is now the second country to double its wild tiger population. It’s an incredible achievement and testament to the conservation efforts of the government, partners, and local communities over the last 12 years.

    Two young tigers run alongside a riverbank in Nepal
  • In the Sundarbans, local communities harvest honey and protect tigers

    July 28, 2022

    Mahua Pramanik and her husband are one of around 80 families involved in a honey cooperative that uses apiaries—or human-made beehives—placed in secure, netted areas on the edge of the forest. Collecting wild honey in the reserves leaves moulis vulnerable to tiger attacks, and approximately six honey collectors die each year in the Sundarbans due to human-tiger conflict.

    Two people hold up a tray from a beehive full of bees
  • Camera traps capture mother tiger with four cubs

    July 18, 2022

    With fewer than 150 individuals, tigers in Malaysia are on the brink of extinction. So imagine the surprise and joy when tiger conservationists spotted a tigress with four cubs on camera traps set up to monitor the population.

    Camera trap image of a tiger mother walking through the forest behind three of her cubs with a fourth cub partially hidden by trees
  • What is people-centered tiger conservation?

    Finding effective ways to partner with people living and working in areas where tigers roam is vital for the long-term recovery of these big cats.

    A group of citizen scientists walk through a winding path in the forest
  • Eight species making a comeback

    March 03, 2022

    Recovering species is essential for effective wildlife conservation and critical to the work WWF does around the world. Here are just a few of our favorite, recent recovery stories.

    Banke Nepal camera trap
  • Restoring Asia's roar: 12 ways tigers made a comeback in 12 years

    February 01, 2022

    From community support to strong political will, here are 12 ways tiger range countries have been working to restore Asia's roar over the last 12 years.

    A tigress and cub snuggle while facing one another
  • How scientists count tigers in India

    January 27, 2022

    From dense jungles to the Himalayas, tigers are an elusive species—hard to find and hard to count. But, thanks to the use of camera traps, the movements and behaviors of tigers are now less of a mystery.

    A tiger walks across leaves in the jungle in India