An endangered species Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An endangered species - Essay Example It is scientifically known as Panthera tigris tigris and its IUCN: Endangered A2bcd+4bcd; C1+2a (i) and lives in dry and wet deciduous forests, grasslands and sal forests as well as temperate or mangrove forests (Tilson and Phillip 3). The Bengal tigers live a solitary life marking their territories to keep away their rivals and are powerful hunters who hunt for their prey at night, which includes buffalos, deer, wild pigs and other large animals like wild ox. They are suitably adapted to their habitats and use their skin to camouflage before pouncing on their prey and killing them for food. Over the last hundred years, the hunting and the destruction of the habitats of the tigers especially the forests have majorly contributed to reduced populations of tiger as the tigers are hunted for their body parts used in Chinese traditional medicine and as trophies. Poaching does not make the matter any better as the human populations always shoot, trap or ensnare them to meet the ever-increa sing demands for illegal trade in wildlife and their products. The Bengal tiger has therefore been rightly included in the red list of the endangered species in the world by the IUCN, which lists the destruction of its habitat as the major cause of its endangerment. As already stated the Bengal tiger is endangered due to the encroachment of human populations and pushing them out of their natural habitats as well as for their body parts. The Bengal tigers are usually hunted as both trophies and the use of their body parts for medicinal purposes according to some cultures especially in China. They are always hunted to meet the market demands of the illegal trade in wildlife products, for example apart from being used as trophies, the endangered Bengal tiger also provide fur that is used to make carpets and coats. However, the major reason why the Bengal tiger is endangered is the