The tiger is an endangered
                                
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
								
									endangered
                                    
                                    BRIAN MCKAY PHOTOGRAPHYY/GETTY IMAGES
                                    
										at risk of becoming extinct 
										(adjective)
                                    
                                    Researchers worked to save the endangered tiger species. 
                                
                             animal. There are only 4,000 wild tigers left in the world. But their number is rising. That’s thanks to efforts in India. In July, the country announced that it had nearly 3,000 tigers. That’s more than half of the world’s wild tigers!
A Place of Their Own

Tourists keep a safe distance from a female tiger. It’s crossing a road in India’s Kanha Tiger Reserve.
MILE HIGH TRAVELER/GETTY IMAGESIndia has set aside land for tigers. On these reserves
                                
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
								
									reserve
                                    
                                    BUCK SHRECK—GETTY IMAGES
                                    
										an area where plants or animals are protected
										(noun)
                                    
                                    We visited a grizzly bear reserve. 
                                
                            , tigers can spread out and hunt. Sometimes, they come across people or animals. India’s government has moved villages away from reserves. This protects farm animals from hungry tigers. It also protects tigers from angry villagers.
Nilanga Jayasinghe works for the World Wildlife Fund. “We have made big strides in tiger conservation
                                
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
								
									conservation
                                    
                                    SCIEPRO/GETTY IMAGES
                                    
										the preservation and protection of something
										(noun)
                                    
                                    Despite efforts at conservation, the blue whale remains an endangered species.  
                                
                            ,” she told TIME for Kids. “But threats to tigers remain.” 
In Asia, tigers are illegally hunted for their skin, whiskers, and teeth. Shari Rodriguez is a wildlife expert. She says India’s success gives her hope. “This is a small, small victory in a long war against extinction."
						
				
				
				
				


