Malaysia: Nearly nine tigers are being seized every month around the world, a figure that exposes a deepening trafficking crisis threatening one of the planet’s most iconic species.
The data is based on a new report released by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC. The report warns that organized criminal networks involved in the illegal tiger trade are evolving far more rapidly than conservation measures designed to stop them. It comes at a time when wild tiger numbers have already collapsed from roughly 100,000 a century ago to an estimated 3,700 to 5,500 today- a decline driven by habitat loss, poaching, and demand for tiger parts.
TRAFFIC’s analysis shows that tiger trafficking has not slowed despite half a century of international protections. In fact, it is accelerating and shifting in alarming ways. While earlier seizures involved mainly skins, claws, and bones, authorities in recent years have witnessed a sharp rise in the capture of whole animals, alive or dead.
Experts believe this trend may be tied to captive-breeding operations, with traffickers moving animals shortly after poaching or before processing them. The rise may also be linked to growing demand for exotic pets and taxidermy in certain markets.
From 2000 to mid-2025, global authorities reported 2,551 tiger-related seizures, representing at least 3,808 tigers. The pace has intensified dramatically since 2020. Over the past five years alone, authorities recorded 765 seizures, equivalent to 573 tigers. At roughly nine per month across 66 months, it marks one of the most troubling periods in the fight against the illegal trade. The worst year recorded was 2019 with 141 seizures, followed closely by 139 in 2023.
Most seizures took place within the 13 countries where wild tigers still exist, with India, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam topping the list. Yet trafficking stretches well beyond Asia. Mexico, the United States, and the United Kingdom also reported significant activity, pointing to a global market that spans continents and wealthy buyers.
Investigators have identified long-standing hotspots such as India and Bangladesh’s tiger reserves, Indonesia’s Aceh region, and key transit points along the Vietnam–Laos border. Major consumption centers in Vietnam, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, remain among the most active.
The report also highlights a wider threat: nearly one in five tiger trafficking cases now involves other endangered species such as leopards, pangolins, and bears, revealing the expansion of criminal operations across multiple wildlife populations.
TRAFFIC stresses that the fight cannot end at the point of seizure. The group calls for coordinated, intelligence-led efforts to dismantle trafficking networks, track financial flows, and strengthen cross-border cooperation.
