Skins, bones and claws among the most common items seized
More than 1,000 wild tigers have been killed in the past decade due to the illegal trade in tiger parts, the BBC reports. Despite efforts to protect them, over the past century, tiger numbers have fallen from 100,000 cats to just about 3,500, according to a study from Traffic International, which monitors trade in wildlife. Using data from 11 of 13 countries where they live, it estimated that between 1,069 to 1,220 tigers were killed to supply illegal demand for tiger parts, with skins, bones and claws the most common items seized. Any commercial trade in their parts has been banned since 1987. Of the 481 seizures analyzed, over 275 were in India, where half the world’s tigers live.