LESS THAN 200 TIGERS LEFT

At current rates, we could lose the Malayan tiger in this lifetime. What happens next depends on you.

BECOME A TIGER PROTECTOR
Tiger
YOU CAN RECEIVE
  • Exclusive event invitations
  • Fun downloadables
  • Member-only articles
  • Adoption e-Certificate
  • Wildlife Protector badge
  • Live news from the field
  • GOTS-certified tote bag
  • Exclusive WWF plushie
BECOME A TIGER PROTECTOR

PROTECTING TIGERS AND THEIR HABITAT

100,000 wild tigers could have wandered freely on Earth at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, only around 3,900 wild tigers remain. We have lost over 95% of the world’s wild tiger population to rampant poaching and habitat loss!

In Malaysia, the population of the Malayan tiger has plummeted to just less than 200. Facing extreme pressure from habitat loss and poaching, Malayan tigers are now listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

Why protect tigers?

Tigers and forests are intrinsically linked. As apex predators, tigers are a sign of a broader, healthy forest ecosystem. Saving tigers means saving critical habitats of thousands of species, where 800 million people in Asia depend on.

Not only that, healthy forests also store carbon and help mitigate climate change!

FACTS

STATUS

STATUS

Endangered

SCIENTIFIC NAME

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Panthera tigris

TOTAL POPULATION

TOTAL POPULATION

Around 3,900

POPULATION IN MALAYSIA

POPULATION IN MALAYSIA

Less than 200

WEIGHT

WEIGHT

100-300 kg

LENGTH/HEIGHT

LENGTH/HEIGHT

1.83-3 meters

HABITAT

HABITAT

Tropical rainforests, evergreen forests, temperate forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands, and savannas

THEIR HOME … is getting smaller!

THEIR HOME … is getting smaller!

THREATS TO THEIR SURVIVAL

POACHING AND ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

Poaching is the most immediate threat to wild tigers.
There has been a spike in snares set by poaching syndicates. Snares pose a major threat to the survival of tigers. Between 2016 to 2018, a total of 685 snares were discovered by WWF patrol teams in Malaysia.

HABITAT LOSS

Tigers have lost an estimated 95% of their historical range. The clearing of forests for agriculture and roads impacts tigers, fragmenting their habitats and increasing the risks of poaching.

LOSS OF PREY

Declining prey species leads to a shortage of food for tigers. Intense competition forces them to abandon protected areas in search of food and water in order to establish territories, potentially resulting in human-wildlife conflict.

HOW YOUR ADOPTION HELPS

As a Tiger Protector, you are joining the fight to turn things around for tigers. Your support will help strengthen community efforts in tiger landscapes, monitor and safeguard habitats against poachers, reintroduce prey species into tiger heartlands, and advocate for an effective management of forests.

By adopting a tiger, you are also protecting the biodiversity, wildlife and natural environments around them.
WHAT WE NEED IN THE FIELD...

Satellite Phone

Essentials Pack

Camera Trap

Health Kit

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

As part of our community, you will receive exclusive updates from the field, hear from conservation experts, get the latest tiger conservation news, and many other membership perks! Get exclusive invitations to meet, interact and listen to our conservation specialists and researchers working directly in the field. The insights shared from their firsthand experience will help you to understand how your contribution plays a role in protecting the Malayan tiger.

WELCOME PACK
Member-exclusive events_tree planting
Member-exclusive events_pedal boat event
Member-exclusive events_beach cleanup
Member-exclusive events_edible cutlery event

FAQS

View all ▼
  • WWF started working to conserve the Malayan tigers in Malaysia since the early 2000s. Tiger conservation needs long-term strategies to strengthen community efforts at tiger landscapes, safeguard habitats against poachers and advocate for effective management of forests.

    Since 2010 where 13 tiger range countries made an international pledge to double the number of wild tigers - Malaysia (where the Malayan tigers are native to) was a signatory of the commitment. But in fact, Malaysia has already planned to double the number of wild tigers two years prior in 2008 as part of the Tiger Conservation Action Plan. Then, we wanted to increase our Malayan tiger numbers from 500 to 1,000 by 2020. But instead of doubling the numbers, there are only less than 200 Malayan tigers left in the world. We need urgent action today to stop the Malayan tigers from disappearing. 
  • We believe that the movement of tiger products from tiger farms into the marketplace (through legal or illegal channels) negatively impacts enforcement efforts directed against those who trade in tigers poached from the wild. This is of great concern given that poaching remains the greatest threat to conservation of the species at this time.

    WWF has been involved on the matter of tiger farms for a considerable time. It was one of the NGOs leading the push for the adoption of Decision 14.69 in the lead up CITES CoP14 in the Netherlands. In recent years, WWF has sought to raise the issue of tiger farms via direct engagement with government figures in those countries which allow such farms to operate. We understand now is the time to return to a more public approach on the issue, given the growth in tiger farms and the evidence that illegal trade from these farms has increased.
  • WWF-Malaysia has successfully used MMS camera-traps to monitor major access points into the forest. These act on the same premise as normal camera-traps, but they transmit photos to our handphones via MMS in real-time, so that this information can be channelled to the authorities for action to be taken. This has resulted in a number of arrests over the years. We are also pilot testing the use of SMART connect, a tool used to collect poaching and patrolling information on our handphones instead of hand-held GPS units. This will enable the data to be uploaded straight into the server, instead of manually inputting the data on to the computer software after the teams get back from the field. This should increase the efficiency of our data entry. We will continue to explore further on the use of technology such as bioacoustics and other emerging elements.
  • The context is different in each place. Some villages we work with have strong COVID response policies and are limiting gatherings to no more than 5 people. In other places they are testing all people who arrive to the village and decide entry based on that. This shows strong leadership from those communities. In other landscapes we are assisting where possible to provide hand sanitiser and face masks - but these are always based on WWF’s ability to fund these, which in some cases is very challenging.

    There are reports of rangers also supporting local communities, and vice-versa. While rangers are dealing with all of these issues many are standing out as leaders in their communities as well as protecting the wildlife that depend upon them. For instance, in the Indian province of Rajasthan rangers are donating one day’s salary per week for the next three months to COVID-19 relief funds.
  • COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease, meaning it jumped from wildlife to humans. This comes as no surprise. Many recent disease outbreaks, including SARS and Ebola, followed this same arc. During this time of crisis, we've seen and learnt that when nature is not protected, it puts our health, well-being, economies, food security, clean air and water sources at risk.
  • The second biggest challenge is to make sure that enabling conditions such political will, sustained government funding and allocation of resources are either enhanced, created or allocated so that tigers will stand a chance to recover over the long term.