Because of hunting and persecutions its population has decreased very rapidly: in 1930, in Asia, there were 100.000 tigers, in 1940 (only 10 years after) they were 40.000 and in 1970 their number was only 5.000 and 2 years later they were less than 2.000.
The measures against the poachers and the establishment of protected parks has led, since 1979, to a gradual recovery of the tigers, that today have reached approximately 6.400 specimens.
However, it was calculated that today there are more tigers in zoos and circuses than in nature.
The habitat of the tigers varies depending on the subspecies, from the Syberian coniferous forests to the mangrove swamps of Sundarban, to the arid scrublands in northwest India.
The surviving species of tiger today are: the Bengal tiger (4.500 specimens), the Syberian tiger (450 specimens), the Chinese tiger (30-80 specimens), the tiger of Sumatra (400-600 specimens) and the Indochinese tiger (1.000-1.750 specimens).
The Javan tiger has been driven to extinction (in the first years of the 19th century). The same thing happened to the Bali tiger (extinct in the 40s) and to the Caspian tiger (extinct in the 70s).
The tiger meat is used in Malaysia as a remedy against the irritations to the spleen and stomach while, in other Asian areas, it is believed that eating some parts of the tiger gives courage and heals some diseases. In Taiwan there's a kind of "wine" produced with tiger bones.
(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)
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