A Cry for the Tiger - National Geographic 2011

A tiger peers at a camera trap it triggered while hunting in the early morning in the forests of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Tigers can thrive in many habitats, from the frigid Himalaya to tropical mangrove swamps

in India and Bangladesh.

These men were apprehended in January 2011 while trying to sell a tiger skin near Chandrapur, India. Illegal trade in tiger bones, eyes,

whiskers, penises, teeth, and other parts for Asian "cures" may generate up to five million dollars a year.

A poacher's snare cost this six-month-old cub its right front leg—and its freedom. The limb was amputated after the tiger had been enmeshed for three days in a snare in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Unable to hunt,

the tiger now lives in a zoo on Java.

A poacher's snare cost this six-month-old cub its right front leg—and its freedom. The limb was amputated after the tiger

had been enmeshed for three days in a snare in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Unable to hunt, the tiger now lives in a

zoo on Java.

A tiger leaps for a plastic bag tied to a pole while tourists watch at the controversial Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Visitors can pay to bottle-feed cubs, walk with tigers, and pose for photos with animals

chained to the ground.

A tiger slips through a fence at India's Bandhavgarh National Park, a refuge that may be too small to support the nearly 60 cats living there. Gaps in the fence let tigers go outside to hunt but also let villagers in to

poach deer—and occasionally tigers.

Relatives prepare a man for cremation after he was killed by a tiger in the Indian village of Tala. The tiger had left Bandhavgarh

National Park to hunt, and park employees were trying to herd it from Tala. One swipe of a paw felled this villager.

Meet Smasher—the male in the background. That's the name Steve Winter gave this youngster, cooling off in a watering hole in Bandhavgarh National Park, after he slapped the automated camera trap until it stopped clicking. Both tigers are thought to

have killed people, and Smasher is now in captivity.

Indonesian poachers use a barking puppy as bait to lure tigers into a trap.

A mother rests with her two-month-old in Bandhavgarh National Park, where—contrary to the global trend—managers have built up tiger numbers. Compensation for loss of life caused by cats outside the

park gives villagers some consolation.

A zoo cage is no haven for a creature whose body parts are prized in the illegal trade. Dara Arista, eight, holds a photo of Sheila in front of her cage at the zoo

in Jambi, Indonesia. Poachers had slaughtered the tiger during the night.

In Bandhavgarh National Park, a cub bats at a remote controlled camera car photographer Steve Winter used to document tigers in action.

Lion – Africa (only cat to live in groups)Estimated wild population: 20,000 to 30,000*Population in zoos: 1,888

Clouded Leopard – Southeast Asia (smallest of cats)Estimated wild population: 10,000Population in zoos: 222

Jaguar – Central and S. America Estimated wild population: At least 10,000Population in zoos: 365

Snow Leopard – Himalayas and Central AsiaEstimated wild population: 4,000 to 6,500Population in zoos: 414

Puma – Unites States and surrounding areasEstimated wild population: 30,000 (U.S. only)Population in zoos: 397

Leopard – Africa and South E. AsiaEstimated wild population: No reliable dataPopulation in zoos: 853

Tiger – AsiaEstimated wild population: Fewer than 4,000Population in zoos: 1,660

Cheetah – E. and SW AfricaEstimated wild population: 7,000 to 10,000Population in zoos: 1,015