Global tiger trafficking crisis worsens, report warns -

Authorities worldwide have seized an average of nine tigers each month over the past five years, highlighting a worsening trafficking crisis that threatens the survival of one of the planet’s most iconic species, according to research released.

A new report by wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC warned that criminal networks are evolving faster than conservation efforts can respond. The global wild tiger population, once around 100,000 a century ago, has now plummeted to an estimated 3,700-5,500, it said.

Despite half a century of international protection, TRAFFIC's findings showed that tiger trafficking is accelerating and increasingly targeting whole animals, living or dead.

Experts said the shift appears linked to captive-breeding operations, but may also reflect tigers being seized shortly after poaching or before being dismembered for their parts. Additionally, it could be driven by a rise in exotic pet ownership or demand for taxidermy, they said.

The report, the sixth in TRAFFIC’s Skin and Bones series examining the illegal trade in tigers, highlighted stark trends. Between 2000 and mid-2025, law enforcement agencies globally recorded 2,551 seizures involving at least 3,808 tigers.

In the five years from 2020 to June 2025 alone, authorities made 765 seizures, confiscating the equivalent of 573 tigers, roughly nine a month over 66 months. The worst single year was 2019, when 141 seizures were recorded, followed by 139 in 2023.

"This rise reflects improved enforcement efforts but also signals persistent and, in some areas, escalating criminal activity and a widespread demand for tigers and their parts,” said Ramacandra Wong, senior wildlife crime analyst and co-author of the report.

The report said investigations should not end at the point of seizure. It said strong international cooperation is crucial, and that disruption of organised crime network along the illegal trade chain through intelligence-led, multi-agency enforcement is essential.

WAM