The wild tiger population is making a comeback after 100 years in decline

A comeback in the animal kingdom.
(Image credit: TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images)

For the first time in 100 years, the population of wild tigers, an endangered species, is growing. There are about 3,890 of them in the world, up from 3,200 in 2010, the World Wildlife Fund announced Sunday.

"This is a pivotal step in the recovery of one of the world's most endangered and iconic species," WWF senior vice president of wildlife conservation Ginette Hemley said in a statement. "Together with governments, local communities, philanthropists, and other NGOs, we've begun to reverse the trend in the century-long decline of tigers."

Tiger parts are frequently traded in illegal wildlife markets, WWF claimed. The group's goal is to double the wild tiger population by 2022, which corresponds with the next Chinese year of the tiger.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.