Protecting tiger prey species is essential for both tiger conservation and the welfare of prey animals.
Tiger prey conservation involves welfare considerations for both predator and prey species. Tigers in prey-depleted territories experience hunger and metabolic stress as they fail to meet their caloric needs — adults may lose body condition and cubs may die before independence. Prey animals in tiger habitat exist in a natural predator-prey dynamic where individual animals face predation risk but populations thrive. Habitat degradation that reduces prey density also increases per-individual mortality rates of prey through habitat stress, reducing welfare on both sides of the predator-prey relationship. Protecting intact ecosystems with both tiger populations and viable prey serves the welfare of all involved.