In Hawaii in the late 1950s, after a spate of tiger shark attacks, a state-sponsored program provided $300,000 to rid the waters of tigers. Tiger sharks are also among the sharks caught for sport by fishermen, and sometimes the government has sponsored the fishing of tiger sharks. Tiger sharks also are harvested for their flesh, which can be used to make leather, and for their livers, which have high levels of vitamin A and can be used to make vitamin oils. Fishermen eager to cash in on the high price of shark fins sometimes amputate the fins of sharks and then release them, which is a death sentence because definned sharks cannot swim fast enough to catch their prey. In Hong Kong, a tureen of shark-fin soup costs $100. Shark fins provide the spaghetti-like noodles in shark-fin soup. Tiger sharks have also been known to eat other tiger sharks, but they're not the only ones - a tiger shark's fins are a hot culinary commodity in Asian culture. In Hawaii, for example, the odds of being attacked by a shark are about one in 5 million. Together, these three sharks are responsible for 99 percent of attacks on humans, but these numbers shouldn't necessarily keep you out of the water. According to the International Shark Attack File, the tiger shark has been responsible for 155 attacks on people since 1580, far behind the great white's 437 and edging out the bull shark's 110. Because the tiger shark's appetite is so voracious, it's also less likely that they'll just try a nibble and retreat, as some other sharks do. īecause tiger sharks live in warm waters, they're likely to make human contact, and sometimes people become the prey of the tiger shark. Scientists are still determining whether such a diet means that the tiger shark is primitive and unevolved in its willingness to eat anything, or whether being able to eat anything is a smart evolutionary defense. Rubber boots, bags of charcoal, boat cushions, hubcaps, pets, raincoats, handbags, cow's hooves, deer antlers, lobsters, a suit of armor, sneakers with legs attached…this list could go on for a while. Not only can this result in human/tiger conflicts as tigers roam to find new habitats, but it can also result in inbreeding in small populations which can reduce genetic diversity.But what gets people's attention is the wackier things that have shown up in a tiger shark's stomach. This results in small pockets of tiger habitat surrounded by human populations. Only 7% of the tiger’s historical range is intact today and tiger habitats are left in isolated areas. Over the past 100 years, tiger habitats have dwindled as they've been overtaken by agriculture, plantations, timber logging, human settlements and access routes. Loss of habitatĪn increase in human populations throughout tiger range countries has resulted in tiger habitats being reduced. By supporting charities such as the EIA, who conduct undercover investigations, we can help to do this. It is vital that we work to expose the criminals involved and uncover the illegal sale of tiger parts in order to prevent this trade from continuing. With illegal wildlife trade thought to be worth around US$10billion per year, the illegal trade in tigers (and other Asian big cats) has generated millions for organised criminal networks. įollow this link to watch the EIA's Hidden in Plain Sight video. If you then take the INTERPOL rule of thumb – contraband seized is about 10% of what is actually being trafficked – the figure of poached and illegally traded tigers is probably, unfortunately, a lot higher. Since 2000, the skins and carcasses of at least 1,031 tigers have been intercepted in trade and an additional 136 live tigers have also been seized. Both are traded by illegal criminal syndicates for huge profits.
Skins are seen as status symbols, used for home décor, whilst bones are used in tonics and medicines. The continued demand is putting the species under huge pressure and driving them closer and closer to extinction. Demand for tiger skin, bone and other body parts, fuels and finances organised poaching and trafficking, which has had a rapid effect on tiger sub-populations and resulted in localised extinctions. Poaching and the illegal trade is, without a doubt, the biggest and most concerning threat that the world's remaining wild tigers face. Tigers are threatened by habitat loss, conflict with humans, and poaching to feed to the illegal trade in tiger parts and products. Unfortunately, the threats that are driving tigers closer to extinction all stem from us, man.
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