From a population of over 100,000 in the 19th century, the Earth's wild tiger population has plummeted to an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 animals. Range States must do more to combat poachers and other threats to tigers, while rich consumer countries have a particular responsibility to fund tiger conservation efforts and halt the worldwide smuggling of tiger products.
Range states are countries inhabited by tigers from India and Russia to China and Southeast Asia.
Yet, habitat destruction continues at a rapid pace, live tigers enter the illegal exotic pet trade, tiger skins are bought and sold, and tiger parts are sought by traditional medicine practitioners to improve virility and achieve other presumed health benefits. A series of technical missions to the tiger range States and consumer nations, was undertaken earlier this year. The 1997 Harare meeting decided to permit some highly controlled exports of elephant ivory for the first time since 1989. Last July, some 50 tons of existing ivory stocks from Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe were sold to Japan as part of a one-time, experimental trade conducted under strict controls. While Egypt has met the conditions that were set, the others must convince the Committee that they too have succeeded or they can be banned from participating in all wildlife trade until effective changes are made.