Habitat Loss and Fragmentation:
* Deforestation: Clearing forests for agriculture, logging, and development destroys tiger habitats, reducing prey populations and isolating tiger populations.
* Habitat fragmentation: Roads, settlements, and other human infrastructure divide tiger territories, making it difficult for them to find mates and hunt.
Poaching:
* Demand for tiger parts: Traditional medicine and other markets drive the demand for tiger bones, skin, and other body parts.
* Illegal wildlife trade: The illegal wildlife trade is a lucrative business, with poachers often targeting tigers for profit.
Human-Wildlife Conflict:
* Competition for resources: As human populations expand, tigers and humans increasingly compete for food, water, and territory.
* Retaliatory killings: When tigers prey on livestock, farmers may kill them in retaliation.
Climate Change:
* Extreme weather events: Floods, droughts, and wildfires can disrupt tiger habitats and affect their food sources.
* Sea level rise: Rising sea levels threaten coastal tiger habitats.
Other Threats:
* Disease: Tigers can be susceptible to diseases like canine distemper and feline leukemia.
* Pollution: Pollution from industrial activities and agricultural runoff can contaminate water sources and harm tigers.
* Lack of law enforcement: Weak enforcement of wildlife laws allows poachers and other threats to operate freely.
Specific Threats to Different Tiger Subspecies:
Different tiger subspecies face specific threats depending on their location and habitat. For example, the Sumatran tiger is threatened by habitat loss due to palm oil plantations, while the Amur tiger is vulnerable to poaching for its fur.
It's important to note that all these threats are interconnected, and addressing one threat alone won't be enough to ensure the survival of tigers. Conservation efforts must be comprehensive and address all the threats tigers face.