International Tiger Day 2027 is on Thursday

About International Tiger Day

Tigers are listed as endangered and have disappeared from much of the range they once occupied across Asia. The main threats are habitat loss, poaching for skins and body parts used in illegal trade, loss of the prey they hunt, and conflict with people living near tiger habitat. On July 29, governments, zoos and conservation groups report on tiger numbers, explain their conservation work and raise funds.

The day traces to the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in November 2010, when leaders of all 13 tiger range countries came together for the first time. They agreed on the Global Tiger Recovery Program and set the goal of doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022, the next Chinese Year of the Tiger, a target conservationists call TX2. According to WWF, Global Tiger Day was created at that summit, and it has been marked every July 29 since.

Progress has been mixed. In 2022 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that about 3,726 to 5,578 tigers lived in the wild, roughly 40 percent more than its 2015 assessment. Experts noted that much of the rise reflected better survey methods, not only more tigers, and the species remains endangered.

Sources: WWF Tigers Alive: Global Tiger Day, Michigan Public (NPR): There are 40% more tigers in the world than previously estimated (2022). How we check dates.

How to mark International Tiger Day

• Learn which tiger populations survive today and the main threats each one faces.
• Support a reputable tiger conservation or anti-poaching program with a donation.
• Never buy products that may contain tiger parts or skins, and report suspected wildlife trafficking to the authorities.
• Skip tourist attractions that let you pet, feed or take photos with captive tigers or cubs.
• Visit an accredited zoo that takes part in tiger conservation and ask which field projects it supports.

International Tiger Day dates