Big Cats - The Numbers

Nearly every big cat species across the globe faces both natural and human caused perils that are pushing them further towards extinction. They are hunted for trophies, poached for body parts or skins, pushed out of their shrinking habitats, or face shortages of prey animals. We are witnessing the extinction crisis unfold before our eyes and big cats are especially feeling the pressure from this event. Let's take a look at some big cats, their current population, and the perils they face.

AMUR LEOPARDS

Residing in the far east of Russia, Amur leopards have seen their populations decimated to less than 100 remaining in the wild. These beautiful cats have been poached for their bones which are used in traditional Asian medicines and poached for their beautiful fur that is widely sought after. Efforts are being made to rehabilitate the species as big cats are incredibly crucial to a healthy ecosystem. Predators dying out will have disastrous effects on the ecosystem as prey animals become abundant and begin to eat more than what's growing.

TIGERS

Both sub-species of Tiger are listed as Endangered with approximately 3, 900 remaining in the wild. Tigers have lost a whopping 95% of their once abundant habitat due to continued, rapid human expansion. Tigers also face relentless poaching for their bones and fur, both of which are major contributing factors to the decline of the tiger population.

Conservation efforts have seen an increase in tiger population in certain areas like India, Nepal, and Russia while tigers in South-East Asia continue to suffer at the hands of humans. With only 3, 900 remaining in the wild, it is imperative that we focus all of our efforts on protecting these cats from extinction.

LIONS

Lions have disappeared from nearly 95% of their historic range and have seen their numbers dwindle down to roughly 20, 000 remaining in the wild. Every peril lions face in the wild is directly traced back to humans. Unsustainable trophy hunting, poaching for body parts and bones, and habitat loss leading to animal agriculture conflicts are destroying lion populations. In some parts of Africa, lions are already extinct due to human conflict. Lions are listed as VULNERABLE but are headed towards ENDANGERED if human caused perils are not addressed. 

CHEETAHS

It is estimated that there are roughly 8, 000 cheetahs remaining in the wild. Cheetahs have very low reproductive success which coupled with human caused perils including poaching and agriculture conflicts, puts cheetahs in a very grave situation. In the past 40 years, cheetah populations have dropped roughly 50% and continue to do so. If conservation efforts are not ramped up to protect cheetahs, one can assume that extinction is a possibility within the next 40 years.

This post makes it abundantly clear that every single peril that big cats face across the globe can be directly traced back to humans. Whether we're hunting them for sport, poaching them illegally for bones / fur, destroying their habitat for agriculture or human development, or killing them for interfering with animal agriculture, we are solely responsible for the decimation of these animals on our planet. There are fewer of all 4 of these cats combined left in the wild than there are people in my teeny tiny city of Windsor, Ontario Canada, a barely recognizable blip on the map. This is incredibly alarming and makes it incredibly clear that we must act aggressively on conservation before we push these cats to extinction.

A world without big cats is a possibility if we don't act aggressively to protect them. Conservation matters and big cats depend on us making the right decisions before it's too late.

HAPPY VEG