The struggle at Ranthambhore is representative of the tiger s plight throughout India and in the other countries where it can still be found. The tiger is a highly adaptable creature that can survive in a wide range of habitats and feed on a variety of species. With sufficient habitat, it can also reproduce relatively quickly, and its cubs have a good chance of survival. In some areas of poverty-stricken India, people kill any game they can find for food, reducing prey for tigers already bereft of homes. As forests, grasslands, and a solid prey base have disappeared across India, the tiger has vanished from more and more of its range.
Persistent tiger poaching for illegal trade compounds the pressure on the cats.
The animals are shot for sale to China, which supports a booming business in traditional medicines made from tiger parts, including whiskers, bones, hides, and flesh. In 1995, an estimated 73 tigers were butchered and shipped in parts to China. Some Chinese believe the bones cure rheumatism, ulcers, fever, and burns. Tiger blood is said to build physical and mental strength. The tiger trade pressures all tiger populations.