As widely known, Tigers are considered one of the most popular wild animal species. Their brightly tinted furs and beautiful eyes have captured the hearts of many. Unfortunately, this magnificent beast has officially been marked as an endangered species that is at a high risk of extinction. There lies many causes to this, that is usually caused by external factors – rather than by factors that is influenced by their internal ecosystem.
Before getting into the roots of these causes, it would be ideal to start the article with a brief introduction of this majestic animal. Tigers are mamalian, carnivorous, feline descendent, Panthera gene, and a part of the Tigris species. Some may refer the tiger as the best cat in the cat family, since they could grow even larger than lions could. Though they come from the same family, there are many significant differences between tigers and lions aside from their sizes.
Additionally, tigers are also known for their speed – being the second fastest cats after the cheetahs. In the carnivorous family, the tiger would be the largest feline member there and the third overall – falling short from the polar bear and the brown bear. Tigers feed on deers, wild pigs, mouses, and other preys alike – in which they are able to hunt in the wild.
These majestic animals play an important role in the ecosystem, yet they’re considered as endangered. Sumatran tigers, for example, is the most popular tiger subspecies that is at risk of extinction. Their comparatively small structure and vibrant colours may not be inn this earth for very long if we do not take direct action to stop this from happening. In this article, we will be discussing the reasons behind the Sumatran Tiger’s population decline.
1. Loss of Habitat
Loss of Habitat has become one of the main reasons behind Sumatran Tiger’s population decline. This is because a Sumatran Tiger’s habitat is a place for them to safely reproduce and hunt. When they are not provided this platform, they have no choice but to do these living activities outside the areas – which, more often than not, is by human civilisation. Since they are wild animals, this becomes a safe hazard for both us and the tigers – which would lead to the population decline.
2. Illegal Transactions Within The Black Market
Aside from the disruption of their habitats, another man-caused factor behind the declining number would be the illegal transactions within the black market. As twisted as it sounds, there are very high demands for Sumatran Tigers – wether for their meat that could be served as an exotic dish, their fur for high fashion products, or other parts of their anatomies that would serve for different purposes. The reasons are endless and diverse, but the hunting process remains the same: unethical.
As a prevention act against their extinction, the government and other activists groups have taken the issue by their hands and has set grounded stricter rules and regulations. Wild animal poaching is due for a serious offence, and with the alarming rate of decline in number, society as a whole has started larger movements to support the cause. Despite the valiant efforts, some of these underground transactions are still taking place outside the mass surveillance.
3. Deforestation
In line with the first point, deforestation plays the same effects as the loss of a safe habitat. This is because a Sumatran Tiger’s habitat is around the wild forests of Sumatra. Deforestation cuts down numerous things in a Sumatran Tiger’s needs to survive – such as food source and basic shelter.
As a first aid and direct action, some of these Sumatran Tiger’s are momentarily migrated to a regulated sanctuary to regain their health and live prosperously. The ideal long term plan was to rejuvenate their habitat to ensure that it is back to live-able conditions – but, as most revolutions do – this requires the help of a mass number of people. Therefore, the urgency of this cause should be spread widely to initiate the movement.
4. Poaching and Hunting
One of the most direct reasoning behind the population decline is the act of hunting and poaching these majestic beasts. Arguably, it is a more excruciating fact to swallow if one is aware that some of these hunters kill for no reason other than the thrill of it. They would leave the carcass as it is, making its death in vain. The pointless, short-termed rewarding, and unethical act should be taken into stricter regulations – as it provides hardly any positive value to both parties.
5. The Symbolic Meaning of Power
A toxic ideology that has been implanted by many is the symbolic association of power with tigers exclusively. Though to some degree this idea could be encouraging and healthy, some people who may not be as literate as others may see this as an allowance to act violently. In other words, the people who associate power with tigers can either do two things with said ideology: work and hustle hard using a tiger’s natural determination as an inspiration, or hunt and harm the majestic creature as a symbolic act of being “more powerful than power itself”.
6. Irresponsible Breeders
Last, and certainly not least, irresponsible breeders would play a huge part in the population decline. Breeders who may not have a basic understanding of what it takes to raise a wild animal, may do so poorly. This would cause more harm than good – and could kill the animal slowly and painfully if they are not careful. Professional breeders may have good intentions to raise these endangered animals in a safe place, but it is very important that they do as much research as possible – because providing a safe sanctuary is not enough to raise healthy Sumatran Tigers.
This marks the end of the article that discusses the reasons behind the Sumatran Tiger’s population decline. As you could observe, most of these reasons are man-caused, so as the responsible human race that we are supposed to be, direct action to preserve their population is urgently needed. There are multiple ways to support this cause, but awareness is always the first step.