Hope for Tigers

The tiger is an endangered × endangered BRIAN MCKAY PHOTOGRAPHYY/GETTY IMAGES at risk of becoming extinct (adjective) Researchers worked to save the endangered tiger species. animal. There are only 4,000 wild tigers left in the world. But their number is rising. That’s thanks to efforts in India. In July, the country announced that it had nearly 3,000 tigers. That’s more than half of the world’s wild tigers!

A Place of Their Own

Tourists keep a safe distance from a female tiger. It’s crossing a road in India’s Kanha Tiger Reserve.

India has set aside land for tigers. On these reserves × reserve BUCK SHRECK—GETTY IMAGES an area where plants or animals are protected (noun) We visited a grizzly bear reserve. , tigers can spread out and hunt. Sometimes, they come across people or animals. India’s government has moved villages away from reserves. This protects farm animals from hungry tigers. It also protects tigers from angry villagers.

Nilanga Jayasinghe works for the World Wildlife Fund. “We have made big strides in tiger conservation × conservation SCIEPRO/GETTY IMAGES the preservation and protection of something (noun) Despite efforts at conservation, the blue whale remains an endangered species. ,” she told TIME for Kids. “But threats to tigers remain.”

In Asia, tigers are illegally hunted for their skin, whiskers, and teeth. Shari Rodriguez is a wildlife expert. She says India’s success gives her hope. “This is a small, small victory in a long war against extinction."