Tigers face ongoing poaching pressure for their bones and other body parts used in traditional medicine, with individual welfare impacts from snare injuries, captive tiger farms, and inadequate sanctuary conditions all requiring attention.
Tiger welfare encompasses both wild and captive populations. Wild tigers caught in snares suffer acute injuries and prolonged distress before rescue or death. Tigers in commercial farming operations experience chronic stress from confinement, inappropriate social housing, and exploitation for body parts while alive. Rescued tigers that cannot be released to the wild require large, complex enclosures and minimal human contact to maintain appropriate wild behaviours. The existence of captive tiger farms undermines conservation by creating demand for tiger products that stimulates poaching of wild animals. Ending the legal trade in farmed tiger products is the most impactful welfare and conservation intervention available.