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Asia, the snowbound conifer forests of Sibe- ria, and the steppes and mountains beyond the Caspian Sea—across nearly every corner of the Asian continent from Turkey in the west to Korea in the east. For the tiger, those times are no more. It is estimated that the tiger population before 1900 numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Today, after nearly a century of industrial development and the exploitation of vast tracts of former wilderness, the total

world population of wild tigers in their natu- ral habitat has been estimated by some to be as low as 5,000, while others feel that 8,000 is a more accurate figure. However, through ever-increasing awareness and strong conser- vation measures, there is hope these numbers will increase. The fight for the tiger’s survival grows stronger as more people learn the story of its treatment by humans as well as the fas- cinating natural history of the animal itself.

Found mainly in eastern Russia and in parts of China and Korea, the Siberian tiger has been severely endangered by poachers. However since 1994, Operation Amba, a group of concerned Russian conservationists, has been extremely effective in combating this problem, and tiger numbers have increased.

The smallest of today’s tiger subspecies, the Suma- tran tiger is distinctive for being the only tiger to live in isolation on a large island. Located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian island of Sumatra is home to many forms of wildlife, including elephants and leopards.

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