Amur tigers in population crisis

[The Dragon Master]

The effective population of the critically endangered Amur tiger is now fewer than 14 animals, say scientists.



Approximately 500 Amur tigers actually survive in the wild, but the effective population is a measure of the genetic diversity of the world's largest cat.



Very low diversity means any vulnerability to disease or rare genetic disorders is likely to be passed on to the next generation.



So these results paint a grim picture for the tiger's chance of survival.



The findings are reported in the journal Mammalian Biology.

Rest of article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9407000/9407744.stm

 

[Jazzy]

During the early 20th Century, the Amur tiger was almost driven to extinction, as expanding human settlements, habitat loss and poaching wiped out this biggest of cats from over 90% of its range.

This is a very sad story. I can understand the expansion of human settlements. The poaching, however, really makes me angry.