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Global tiger trafficking crisis worsens with nine big cats seized monthly

On Tuesday, TRAFFIC released data showing authorities worldwide seized an average of nine tigers monthly over the five-year period 2020 to June 2025, totaling 765 seizures and 573 tigers.
Experts point to captive-breeding operations and rising demand for exotic pet ownership, taxidermy and traditional medicine, while TRAFFIC warned criminal networks evolve faster than enforcement.
Analysis reveals tiger parts fell from 90% of seizures in the 2000s to 60% since 2020, with more than 40% of confiscations in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Russia involving whole tigers and other threatened species.
The report warns the global wild tiger population has plummeted from around 100,000 to an estimated 3,808, urging investigations to extend beyond seizures, as experts say illegal trade remains the greatest threat.
As long-term data show, law enforcement agencies globally recorded 2,551 seizures involving at least 3,808 tigers between 2000 and mid-2025, with hotspots in India and Bangladesh tiger reserves, Indonesia's Aceh region, and the Vietnam–Laos border; TRAFFIC urged intelligence-led, multi-agency international disruption to dismantle organised crime.

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Wildlife monitoring network says tiger trafficking worsening

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Authorities worldwide seized an average of nine tigers each month over the past five years, highlighting a worsening trafficking crisis that threatens the survival of one of the planet's most iconic species, according to research released…

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