6 Tigers Worth Preserving and 3 We Hope Go Extinct

Happy Year of the (Endangered) Tiger

As many Asian countries began celebrating the Year of the Tiger on February 14, tigers themselves have little reason to rejoice. There are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild, and they are being threatened by deforestation, poachers, illegal trafficking and other factors.

WWF, a leader in animal conservation, plans to use the celebration of Year of the Tiger to draw attention to these amazing endangered animals. In September a Global Tiger Summit will be held in Vladivostok, Russia with the goal of having all tiger range countries lay out an agenda to recover the population of these big cats. The goal is to double the species numbers by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger. The WWF has also put together a list of the Top 10 Tiger Trouble Spots.

"Tigers are being persecuted across their range – poisoned, trapped, snared, shot and squeezed out of their homes," said Mike Baltzer, leader of WWF's Tiger Initiative. "But there is hope for them in this Year of the Tiger. There has never been such a committed, ambitious, high-level commitment from governments to double wild tiger numbers. They have set the bar high and we hope for the sake of both the tiger and people that they reach it. Tigers are a charismatic species and a flagship for Asia's biological diversity, culture and economy."

Find out how you can help WWF with its mission.

Pictured here is an Indian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) at the Bangkok Zoo, Thailand

Sumatran Tiger (Panthera Tigris Sumatrea)

The Sumatran tiger found in Indonesia is in danger due to logging and loss of habitat.

Tiger (Panthera Tigris)

A captive tiger at Africa Marine World, Vallejo, Calif. There are over 5,000 tigers in captivity in the U.S. -- that's more than the number of wild tigers around the world.

Indian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris)

A two-month-old Indian tiger cub.

Amur or Siberian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Altaica)

A Siberian tiger sitting in the snow. These tigers are in danger due to illegal logging in Russia.

Eye of the Tiger

A tiger (Panthera tigris) in Kanha National Park, India. Tigers in India are in danger due to habitat degradation and a growing human population.

Indian Tiger Track

Indian (or Bengal) tiger, or Panthera tigris togris, track in Royal Bardia National Park, Terai Arc, Nepal. In India tigers are most in danger due to loss of habitat.

Indochinese Tiger (Panthera Tigris Corbetti)

The Indochinese tiger is only found in the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)

An Indochinese tiger in Thailand.

Indian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris)

A tiger yawning at the Bangkok Zoo, Thailand. Wild tigers in the area are in danger due to overbuilding and poaching. WWF believes there are only 350 wild tigers in the area.

Indian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris)

Indian tigers are still found in the wild, but three tiger species went extinct in the last century.

Indian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris)

This picture was taken by a camera trap in Bandhavagargh National Park, Madhy, Madhya Pradesh, India. The tiger, known as Charger, breaks an infrared beam and has his photograph taken by remote camera as he drinks from a water hole.

Please Go Extinct: Tiger Woods

OK, maybe we don't want Tiger Woods himself to go extinct, just the continuing coverage of his mistresses.

Please Go Extinct: Tigers as Pets

It didn't work out well for Mike Tyson and the gang of The Hangover; or the guy in Harlem, New York City, who was essentially kicked out of his apartment by his pet tiger; not to mention the man mauled to death by his pet tiger in Canada. A tiger's combination of strength, instinct and low inhibitions make them bad roommates. Keeping a tiger is illegal, consider a cat instead.

Please Go Extinct: Tiger Beat

1986 called, they want their magazine back.