Environment

Into the Wild

The Critically Endangered Sumatran Tiger

Amber Sollami, Writer / Photographer

October 20, 2025

An endangered Sumatran Tiger

As Benjamin Disraeli once said, “We are not creatures of circumstance, we are creators of circumstance. ” Little did he know how profound and applicable this observation would be in the centuries to come. For a 19th-century British statesman, conservative politician, writer, and twice-serving Prime Minister to be so acutely aware of our propensity to create irrevocable problems, it begs the question, HOW CAN WE BE SO BLIND? One simple answer is greed. Yet, the complexities of such a simple answer and the means to address it are anything but simple. Plagued by habitat loss, illegal trade, human persecution, and prey-based depletion, the plight of the Sumatran Tigers is a subject that should serve as a rallying cry for anyone who holds any level of compassion or concern for ensuring the success of their survival and guaranteeing the gifts afforded to us are set to be appreciated by generations to come.

Critically Endangered

Sumatran Tigers are one of over 9,700 critically endangered species in the world. With fewer than 400 individuals left in the wild, we continue to see their population dwindling, despite being aware of their drastic decline and their critically endangered status for more than two decades. At this rate, we risk losing them forever while simultaneously triggering greater ecological consequences. Being the smallest tiger and the only surviving subspecies of the three to come out of the Sumatran Archipelago, having already lost both the Bali Tiger (aka Panthera Tigris Balica) to extinction in the 1940s and the Javan Tiger (aka Panthera Tigris Sondaica) which ceased to be seen in the wild in the 1980s, their complete loss risks the triggering of a trophic cascade. A trophic cascade, an ecological phenomenon resulting from the loss of top predators in the food chain, would trigger an ecological crisis of unknown proportions for the Indonesian archipelago, resulting in a dynamic and disastrous change within the delicate ecosystem. Such devastation was seen in the United States, specifically Yellowstone National Park, when the decline of the gray wolf resulted in an explosion of the prey population. Facing no other apex predators, herbivores wreaked havoc, destroying the vegetation. It remains a stark reminder of what we face with the loss of another apex predator if we lose the last of the surviving Sumatran Tigers, further highlighting the need for conscientious and meticulous conservation efforts.

Fast Facts

Sumatran Tigers have been classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2007.
ICUN stands for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and defines “Critically Endangered Species” as “species facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild ”.
A 2017 study conducted by UC Berkeley found that 17 percent of the Sumatran Tiger’s natural habitat was lost to deforestation between 2000 and 2012 alone.
Leading cause for deforestation: Palm Oil
Java, Bali, and Singapore have already experienced the extinction of their native tiger populations, all achieved in the 20th century.
Leading causes for population decline: Deforestation/Habitat Loss, Poaching, Loss of Prey Due To Habitat Loss, Human Conflict, Illegal Trade
Sumatran Tiger’s average home range: Approx 150 Square Miles
Natural Habitat: The rainforests of Sumatra in Indonesia, particularly areas close to water sources, are found to be excellent swimmers.
Prey: Wild Boar, Crocodiles, Tapirs, Birds/Fowl, Primates (i.e., Macaques, Monkeys, Orangutans- although infrequent), Fish, Sambar/Barking Deer, Goats, Cattle
Weight: Males typically weigh between 220 and 309 lbs. While females typically weigh 165 to 243 lbs.
Size: Males measure approximately 87 to 98 inches, while females are found to measure approximately 85 to 91 inches in length

Ways To Help

Further Information

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