Wire snares set for deer and wild pigs across tiger habitat in Asia indiscriminately catch tigers, causing severe limb injuries, infection, and prolonged death — making snare removal one of the highest-priority tiger welfare interventions.
Snare injuries cause some of the most prolonged and severe suffering experienced by wild tigers. A tiger trapped in a snare faces hours to days of pain, exhaustion from struggling, dehydration, and the terror of confinement before rescue or death. Those that escape or are freed with limb injuries face a prolonged welfare decline: limbs that cannot heal properly become infected, mobility is impaired, hunting wild prey becomes impossible, and the animal faces eventual starvation or secondary conflict with humans. Systematic snare removal — patrols that sweep protected areas and remove snares before they catch wildlife — is among the most direct and cost-effective interventions for improving wild tiger welfare.