9 tigers seized every month as global trafficking crisis decimates big cat populations, report says

Authorities worldwide have seized an average of nine tigers each month over the past five years, highlighting a worsening trafficking crisis that threatens the survival of one of the planet's most iconic species, according to research released Tuesday.

A new report by wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC warned that criminal networks are evolving faster than conservation efforts can respond. The global wild tiger population, once around 100,000 a century ago, has now plummeted to an estimated 3,700-5,500, it said.

Despite half a century of international protection, TRAFFIC's findings showed that tiger trafficking is accelerating and increasingly targeting whole animals, living or dead. Experts say the shift appears linked to captive-breeding operations, but may also reflect tigers