The WILDLIFE PROTECTION SOCIETY OF INDIA (WPSI) works with government enforcement agencies to apprehend tiger poachers and traders throughout India. WPSI also makes every effort to investigate and verify any seizure of tiger parts and unnatural tiger deaths that are brought to our notice.

The following figures represent only a fraction of the actual poaching and trade in tiger parts in India. The details below are compiled from reports received by WPSI from enforcement authorities, work carried out by WPSI, and other sources.

To date, WPSI has documented the following cases:

95 cases of tigers known to have been killed in 1994
121 tigers killed in 1995
52 tigers killed in 1996
88 tigers killed in 1997
39 tigers killed in 1998
81 tigers killed in 1999
52 tigers killed in 2000
72 tigers killed in 2001
46 tigers killed in 2002
38 tigers killed in 2003
38 tigers killed in 2004
46 tigers killed in 2005
37 tigers killed in 2006
27 tigers killed in 2007
29 tigers killed in 2008
32 tigers killed in 2009

WPSI also has records of a large number of tigers that were "found dead". Without verification of poaching evidence these deaths have not been included in the above figures. To reach an estimate of the magnitude of the poaching of tigers in India, it may be interesting to note that the Customs authorities multiply known offences by ten to estimate the size of an illegal trade.

The illicit demand for bones from wild tigers for use in traditional oriental medicine, coupled with the international trade in tiger skins, continues to be the main reason for the unrelenting poaching pressure on tigers in India. There is virtually no demand for either bones or skins of tigers within India.

Note: For tiger bone seizures, in the absence of skulls the number of dead tigers have been calculated by using an average of 12 kg of bones per tiger.

WPSI's Leopard Poaching Statistcs