By Dominique Jean, MoveUP Environment Committee Member (and proud cat owner)
Photo: A Bengal tiger on the left, and Dominique’s cat Dee on the right. Tigers share about 96% of their DNA with domestic cats.
Global Tiger Day is July 29, 2026, and is meant to raise awareness about conservation efforts as the tiger population is low and endangered. The day was created when heads of tiger range states met in 2010 (which was also the Year of the Tiger).
Tigers are the largest kind of cat and are closely related to lions and leopards. Tigers can be found in parts of Asia and Eastern Russia. There are currently only five subspecies of tigers in the world, the Bengal Tiger, Siberian Tiger, Indochinese Tiger, Malayan Tiger, and South China Tiger.
A well-known type of tiger is the Bengal Tiger which are mostly found in India. Siberian and Bengal tigers are the largest kinds of tigers. Male Bengal tigers weigh 200–260 kg (440–570 lbs.), and females weigh 100–160 kg (220–350 lbs.).
A group of tigers is called a streak or an ambush. Big cats such as tigers have mutations that cause fast acting muscles to hunt prey, and they can jump over 5 metres high.
Tigers (as well as domestic cats) are obligate carnivores, which means they only eat meat and their bodies are made to only digest animal tissues. Tigers are apex predators, so they are not prey to very many animals. They can live up to 10 years in the wild, but longer in captivity. When they roar, they can be heard from as far as 3 kilometres away.
Even though they are big, tigers are extremely fast and can run up to 65 kilometres per hour. Tigers do not have the same stripes and scientists can identify what type of tiger they are from the pattern of their stripes. They are good swimmers and can swim up to 6 kilometres.
Female tigers give birth to 2-4 cubs at a time and can do this every two years. Conservationists try to prevent inbreeding by choosing tigers that are not closely related for mating to prevent poor genetics from being passed on and to reduce the likelihood of illness.
According to the most recent data, the global wild tiger population has increased but there are only 4,500 tigers left in the wild. Less than a hundred years ago, there were around 10,000 tigers in Asia. One reason why tigers are endangered is due to habitat loss, from people cutting down trees and forests. Tigers are also illegally hunted for their fur and body parts.
To celebrate Global Tiger Day, please consider donating to organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund or The Fund for the Tiger.
