Blog

Why Tigers

During the build-up to International Tiger Day, on 29 July 2020, Tigers4Ever has been asking their supporters #WhyTigers? We want to find out why people across the globe share our passion for giving wild tigers a wild future and why conserving this iconic species is so important. Trustee, Lyndon Roberts, shares his thoughts.

Why are tigers important to you?

Tigers have become important to me fairly recently. Since having children, a lot of my time has been spent researching and looking at various animals. As a result of their fascination with big cats, and tigers in particular, it heightened my awareness of the peril this iconic species is in.

How much trouble are tigers in?


Tigers are in significant danger. What we know is there are fewer than 4000 wild tigers left. Over 70% live in India. Therefore, preserving the population in India is essential to ensuring wild tigers have a wild future.

Captive tigers are thriving though, aren’t they?

In short, yes. But this isn’t good news for tigers. There are more tigers in captivity in the United States than there are in the wild. Tigers are not designed to live in cages; they are highly evolved, apex predators.

What about series like Tiger King on Netflix, aren’t these good for tigers?

Series like Tiger King are detrimental to tigers- captive tigers often live in tiny cages or enclosures. Tigers4Ever are committed to giving tigers a wild future, not for tigers to be used as entertainment or education for humans.

Why have humans been so detrimental to tigers?

From Tiger King to traditional ‘medicines’ tigers have been mistreated by humans for centuries. In brief, humans destroy habitat for tigers and other wildlife, largely for agriculture. Humans also poach tigers for use in traditional medicines such as using tiger bone for conditions from acne to cancer.

How do tigers support our natural world?


As top predators, tigers are essential to the biodiversity in their natural habitats. They manage populations of deer and wild boar to prevent the destruction of flora and fauna. As the biggest member of the cat family, it’s a misconception that tigers hunt humans; this human/tiger conflict only occurs when humans encroach on tiger’s territories and destroy their habitat.

How can people support tigers to have a wild future?

Giving regularly to organisations that focus on conserving tigers in the wild, like Tigers4Ever, is the only sustainable way to support tigers’ future.  Tiger populations have decreased by 95% over the last 120 years and educating people cohabiting with tigers, preserving their habitat and preventing poaching are the only way to save wild tigers.

What are TigersEver doing to preserve wild tigers?

Tigers4Ever is unique in the sense that it uses donations to directly contribute towards conservation efforts in India, so money goes to one of our education, waterhole or anti-poaching patrols projects. For more information about Tigers4Ever and their conservation work in India, see our projects at: https://www.globalgiving.org/donate/38968/tigers4ever/. We have partnered with GlobalGiving so donors from the USA can make safe and easy tax efficient donations and receive 501c3 certificates. UK taxpayers can easily donate in GBP and add an extra 25% to their donations via Gift Aid. GlobalGiving also allow donors to make donations in euros, Australian Dollars and Canadian Dollars in addition to enabling a monthly recurring donation in each of the accepted currencies.
You can donate to any of our projects directly or via GlobalGiving from the project pages or via https://www.globalgiving.org/donate/38968/tigers4ever/.