Tigers

The tiger, the largest of all cats, is one of the most charismatic and evocative species to exist and is both revered and feared. However, in the past century, the world has lost 3 of the 8 tiger subspecies. The Bali, Caspian and Javan tigers have all become extinct, with tiger habitats disappearing at an alarming rate, there are now strong concerns about other subspecies, in particular the South China tiger.

The Balinese tiger (Panthera tigris balica) has always been limited to the island of Bali. These tigers were hunted to extinction - the last Balinese tiger is thought to have been killed at Sumbar Kima in 1937.

The Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) was limited to the Indonesian island of Java. It now seems likely that this subspecies was made extinct in the 1980s, as a result of hunting and habitat destruction. The last specimen was sighted in 1979.

The Caspian tiger or Persian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) appears to have become extinct in the late 1960s, with the last reliable sighting in 1968. Historically it ranged through Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, the former Soviet Union and Turkey.

This tiger was said to be yellow with black stripes. The Caspian tiger was one of two subspecies of tiger (along with the Bengal) that was used by the Romans to battle Roman Gladiators and other animals, including the Barbary Lion.