Patterned black stripes on a bright orange canvas, the famous Bengal Tiger also known as the Asian tiger is the enigmatic symbol of power, beauty, royalty, stealth, strength and survival in Asian cultures for centuries. Unfortunately this beautiful strong animal has fallen weak in comparison to the rampant savage of mankind on this planet. Today there are as few as 3,200 tigers in the wild according to WWF (World Wide Fund). They are scarcely distributed mostly in isolated pockets spread across increasingly fragmented forests, stretching from India to southeastern China and from the Russian Far East to Sumatra, Indonesia. Tiger is largest of all cats and one of the most threatened species on Earth. These majestic cats are threatened by growing human populations, loss of habitat, illegal hunting (of both tigers and their prey species) and expanded trade of tiger body parts used as traditional medicines.

Amongst terrestrial animals Tigers are the top predators in the food chain. They keep the eco-system balanced. When they start to disappear due to poaching and lack of habitat, there is no one to keep the population of herbivores like Deer, Wild Buffaloes, Antelopes and Omnivores like Boars in control, thus leading to depletion of vegetation at a faster rate. Nature is only balanced with the right proportion of predators and prey. By taking away one important predator, prey will increase at the cost of habitat which finally impacts the entire ecosystem.

International Tiger Day is also known as Global Tiger Day. It is an annual practice to raise awareness about tiger conservation. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit and has been held annually on 29 July ever since.  The day promotes a global system that works towards protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.

We have a tiger family safe at Khao Kheow Open Zoo and our JTTJ team takes utmost care to provide them a habitat closest to their natural habitat. Do visit us on this special occasion on 29 July and help spread the awareness about this regal wonder of nature.