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| | Bengal Tiger | Indo-Chinese Tiger | South-Chinese Tiger | Sumatran Tiger | |
| Tigers usually hunt at night using sight and sound. Sometimes hiding in the grass near water holes, they try to creep within 80 feet of the prey and then pounces and grabs the nape of the neck that kills small prey. For larger prey, it brings it to the ground and gives a suffocating bite to the throat. Only about one in ten of its hunting trips are successful. If the tiger misses its prey, it may try to chase it for up to 650 feet but rarely caches it. When it does catches its prey, it drags it to cover near water and eats it. When the tiger is full, it hides the remains and goes to sleep to eat it later. They mainly eat deer, wild pigs, buffaloes, antelopes, but also smaller prey such as fish and rabbits. | 
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| Tigers can mate at any time during the year. A female tiger may be able to mate for only three to seven days so the pair will mate several times to make sure the female will be pregnant. The gestation period would last about three months which three or four blind cubs are born. They are nursed for two weeks until their eyes and teeth begin to grow. After about six months, when the cubs stop feeding on the mother's milk, they start to go out hunting with their mother. When they are two years old, they can kill larger prey, but they will not leave their mother until they are three to five years old and go out to search for their own territories and mates. |
Bengal Tiger
Wild Tigers: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The Bengal tiger occurs primarily throughout India, with smaller populations in southern Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and western Myanmar.The IUCN Cat Specialist Group reported a total of 3,250 to 4,700 Bengal tigers throughout the range in 1994. For several decades, the status of wild tigers in India has been estimated from the individual identification of pug marks (or footprints), a methodology that has been challenged on grounds of human error and manipulation. The first all-India census in 1971 produced a baseline figure of 1,800 tigers. Project Tiger and Wildlife Institute of India officials reported in subsequent censuses that tiger numbers increased to 4,334 in 1989. These estimates were disputed by Indian biologists, who suggested the number is much lower.
The Cat Specialist Group reported 2,750 to 3,750 Bengal tigers in India in 1994. These tigers are distributed among 66 protected areas, of which more than 20 fall under the umbrella of Project Tiger, a program based on total protection of tigers and conservation of selected habitats as reserves managed primarily for tigers. Another 150-250 tigers live in three protected areas in Nepal, 50-240 tigers are in four protected areas in Bhutan, about 300-460 tigers live in three protected areas in Bangladesh, and an unknown number of tigers remain in Myanmar. Although the wild Bengal tiger populations are considered more secure in India than other tiger subspecies found elsewhere in Asia, there exists the potential for rapid demise of wild populations through recently increased levels of poaching and poisoning.
Indo-Chinese Tiger
Wild Tigers: Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia.
Wild Tigers, Thailand:
In Thailand, the center of the Indochinese tiger's range, a 1990 survey reports that about 250 tigers were still left, while Thai Royal Forest Department (RFD) officials suggest an estimate of 600 tigers. Many of these tiger populations are subject to encroachment, fragmentation, and isolation; conditions which lead to even fewer tigers. To Thailand's credit, eight interconnected forest areas larger than 2,000 km2 are currently maintained; one is larger than 12,000 km2, making it one of the largest contiguous habitats for tigers in Southeast Asia. The RFD is currently making a country-wide assessment of all protected areas using Geographic Information System (GIS) to more accurately assess the extent of tiger populations and available habitat.
Wild Tigers, Lao PDR:
The status of the Indochinese tiger in Lao PDR (formerly Laos) is unclear, because only recently has a protected areas system been established. Most of these areas exist only on paper, and they have yet to be staffed. In 1992, the first general surveys of these areas were initiated by the Lao Wildlife Department. Tigers were reported to occur in at least 17 sites, but definite signs of tigers were only found in four of the five larger sites, and then only occasionally. Also disturbing was the near absence of common tiger prey in all of the sites. Most lowland forest is gone, restricting tigers to prey-poor upland forests. Illegal trafficking in wildlife is well documented, and poaching is considered to be heavy. The Lao Wildlife Department considers its tiger populations to be declining. These observations suggest a bleak future for Indochinese tigers in Lao PDR.
Wild Tigers, Cambodia:
The status of Indochinese tigers in Cambodia is even less precise. The Cambodian Wildlife Department is virtually nonexistent, trafficking and poaching are reputed to be heavy, and no zoos are established. According to the Cat Specialist Group, there are probably 100 to 200 tigers in Cambodia. Until better information is available, the tiger's future must be considered bleak too.
Wild Tigers, Myanmar:
Under the Wildlife Conservation and Sanctuaries Division of the Forestry Department of Myanmar (formerly called Burma), a Protected Areas System of 16 Wildlife Sanctuaries and five National Parks was established in 1981. Today 40% of the country is still covered with closed forest. The Ayeyarwaddy River, which separates the Indochinese and Bengal tiger subspecies, flows from the north to the south through the middle of Myanmar. Fifteen years ago estimates placed about 3,000 tigers in Myanmar, half of these Indochinese. Despite these optimistic numbers, the general consensus of field biologists who have made brief forays to several protected areas suggests that current tiger numbers are dramatically lower. Like Lao PDR and Cambodia, trafficking and poaching are heavy. The Government of Myanmar is seeking ways to improve the situation for tigers. Wildlife and Protected Areas legislation was enacted in June 1992, placing the tiger in the Completely Protected category of their Protected Species List. They have also drafted a comprehensive Tiger Conservation Action Plan.
Wild Tigers, Vietnam:
According to the Ministry of Forestry in Vietnam, the Indochinese tiger is found in 24 of the 87 established Nature Reserves and National Parks. Some reserves are quite large, and a comprehensive interview census is currently underway to establish tiger numbers. In 1994 the Cat Specialist Group reported an estimated 200-300 tigers were living in seven Nature Reserves. Poaching is ongoing, and tiger skins, teeth, and bones can be readily purchased in major cities. Officials admit that tiger populations are declining in Vietnam.
Wild Tigers, Malaysia:
Under the Protection of Wildlife Act, the Indochinese tiger in Malaysia has been designated a totally protected species since 1976. At that time, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks estimated that some 300 tigers were found on the Peninsula; its numbers have now increased to about 520 individuals in about 10 existing sites, and possibly as high as 600-650 if restricted access security sites are included. Most of these sites are quite small, and the resident tiger populations may be too small to be considered viable. The existing protected system area of Malaysia is over 1.1 million hectares, and another 2 million hectares could be considered tiger habitat. Unlike elsewhere in Asia, Malaysia has been very effective in reducing poaching. They estimate the rate has decreased from about 19 tigers per year (during 1972-1976) to one tiger per year. Malaysia is interested in establishing two transborder reserves with Thailand, where some 40 tigers are believed to occur.
The status of wild populations of the Indochinese tiger is relatively unknown. This is mostly due to its very broad distribution across most of Indochina, which includes southern China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Malaysia, and eastern Myanmar. In these countries, tigers live in remote forests in hilly to mountainous terrain, most of which occurs along boundaries with neighboring countries. Access to these areas is often restricted, and biologists have only recently been granted limited permits for field surveys. According to the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, as of 1994 there were 1,050 to 1,750 Indochinese tigers in the wild.
