The tiger is a member of the cat family and is the largest of the four "big cats" They are native to much of eastern and southern Asia. Of the nine subspecies of modern tiger, three are extinct and the remaining are classified as endangered or critically endangered. 

 

Poaching for fur and destruction of habitat have greatly reduced tiger populations in the wild. A century ago, it is estimated there were over 100,000 tigers in the world but the population has dwindled to between 7,000 and 5,000 tigers.