Reproduction: When looking at the reproductive parameters of wild female Siberian tigers, the minimum age of first reproduction for the 4 tigers in the sample population was 4 ± 0.4 years (3). The mean litter size was about 2 cubs with the interval between litters being about 21 months (3). Overall, the mean reproductive rate was about 1.4 cubs a year with about half (57%) of the cubs surviving up to a year (3). The low cub survival rate is most likely due to anthropogenic reasons, once again showing how big of an impact humans have on the Amur tiger population. Although the Amur tiger population is relatively stable, the high cub mortality and long interval between litters means the population will not see significant increases in the near future to where becoming extinct is no longer a threat.
Poaching: The decline in the Siberian tiger population is due primarily to the poaching of tigers for their thick, beautiful furs and also for use in traditional Chinese folk medicine along with the poaching of their prey species in the tiger's range. Siberian tiger bones and pelts are sold on the black market for tens of thousands of dollars (10). In China alone, the body parts of a Siberian tiger may sell for as much as $500,000 (10). The possibility of such a large profit and the high demand for tiger body parts exists are surely what attract poachers and they would "treat fines and others risks just as a cost of doing business" (11). In the past two years alone, at least 19 Siberian tigers have been killed by poachers (11). This may not sound like much, but when you're dealing with such a low population, anything may cause an imbalance. No one knows the exact amount of Siberian tigers in the wild and with a reduced number of enforcement personnel in key tiger areas (due to reduced budgets), many tigers are probably being killed by poachers unnoticed.
Poaching: The decline in the Siberian tiger population is due primarily to the poaching of tigers for their thick, beautiful furs and also for use in traditional Chinese folk medicine along with the poaching of their prey species in the tiger's range. Siberian tiger bones and pelts are sold on the black market for tens of thousands of dollars (10). In China alone, the body parts of a Siberian tiger may sell for as much as $500,000 (10). The possibility of such a large profit and the high demand for tiger body parts exists are surely what attract poachers and they would "treat fines and others risks just as a cost of doing business" (11). In the past two years alone, at least 19 Siberian tigers have been killed by poachers (11). This may not sound like much, but when you're dealing with such a low population, anything may cause an imbalance. No one knows the exact amount of Siberian tigers in the wild and with a reduced number of enforcement personnel in key tiger areas (due to reduced budgets), many tigers are probably being killed by poachers unnoticed.
Habitat Loss: The Amur region of the Russian Far East, which is where most Siberian tigers are, is currently shrinking in size due to the accelerated exploitation of resources in the region and climate change. Industrial development (timber harvesting and mining) has significantly increased and is destroying the habitat of the Siberian tiger. In a research study on the effects of roads and human disturbance on Amur Tigers, it was found that all 6 monitored female tigers "died or disappeared prematurely from areas with primary roads" while all female tigers in "roadless areas survived with their tenure" (12). It was also found that tigers at kills in areas with no human disturbance consumed more meat and spend more time at each kill site (12). Habitat loss is also increasing the probability of human-tiger conflict. In a translocation study, two of five Siberian tigers (who had previous violent encounters with humans or domestic animals) were successfully translocated. Two of the five tiger translocations were unsuccessful because they returned to areas inhabited by humans and were then killed by people (19). Siberian tigers are rapidly running out of habitat area and may soon enter areas of high human activity regularly in search of food. The increasing human disturbance in these areas is damaging an already critically low Siberian Tiger population and actions must be taken in order to prevent any further damage.
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