The total wild tiger population used to contain about 100,000 animals in Asia just 100 years ago. As of today, the current wild tiger population is equal to less than 3,200 wild tigers. Although these are mere estimates, a 93% decrease in Asia’s tiger population has taken place in the last 100 years or so. 40% of this decrease is estimated to have taken place within the last 40 years. This clearly shows how desperately wild tigers need your help.

These numbers should not just be cause for concern but might make you all the more eager about getting involved as a tiger conservation volunteer abroad. Please know that your voluntary work in Asia (mostly India and China) is definitely going to have an impact. In particular, these tiger species will benefit from your work as a volunteer in tiger conservation:

• Bengal Tiger
• Sumatran Tiger
• Amur Tiger
• South China Tiger

A combination of environmental and human factors play a huge role in the decrease of the tiger population. It's safe to say that humans are the tiger's greatest threat but let's take a closer look at what's going on:

Environmental Threats

Like most wild animals, pollution, global warming, and climate change is a great threat to tigers. As a prospective tiger conservation volunteer abroad, you should know just how global warming impacts tigers. In some regions, such as in India, tigers are losing their natural habitats due to coastal erosion. In other areas, fresh river water is starting to become more saline due to water from the ocean moving up rivers. In turn, this leads to a higher concentration of salt in the river waters that tigers drink. This is causing the tiger population to move to different areas, where there's a greater risk of conflict with humans. Once tigers become a danger to humans in these areas, they will likely be killed.

Human Threats

Black-market trade of tiger pelts continues to be a huge problem. Tigers are still being poached and hunted as trophies and as long as this practice continues, tigers will remain in danger of becoming extinct. Tigers are also killed for their body parts because they are believed to have medicinal properties. Tiger parts are used as part of various traditional medicines in Asia.

If you want to volunteer with tigers, you can choose from 3 different continents. There are programs available in:

• the US
• South Africa
• India
• Thailand
• Indonesia

Some of these volunteer programs are also focused on other wildlife so it's not always guaranteed that you will be working with tigers. It's a good idea to get in touch with the volunteer organization to get a better understanding of the likelihood of working with tigers during the time your will be volunteering.

As a tiger conservation volunteer, the goal is to help with anti-poaching as well as habitat-sustaining efforts to make sure that tigers do not become extinct anytime soon. As part of this kind of tiger conservation work, you might get to work with the local indigenous community or explore remote rainforests. You might even be part of a dedicated anti-poaching patrol team and work with local law enforcement. There are various pieces to the puzzle. Helping to spread awareness about the importance of habitat protection and the importance of tigers in the ecosystem will also create a huge impact.

While you might have high hopes of getting up close and personal with tigers during your time as a tiger conservation volunteer, this will not necessarily happen. Keep in mind that education and community outreach activities are just as important. After all, tiger conservation will only be successful if the local population does their part.

You will be asked to educate the local community members in regards to why tigers need saving and what they can do to protect these wild predators. Convincing people that they should not use tiger body parts for medicinal purposes might not be easy. Yet, doing so is key to tiger survival.

Some tiger conservation programs even provide a temporary home to orphaned or injured tigers. This type of tiger conservation volunteer work may require you to:

• feed the tigers
• clean their cages
• help vet treatments
• track and monitor the local tiger population
• data input
• fundraising

In turn, you will get to acquire new skills as a tiger conservation volunteer. If you plan on becoming a biologist yourself, these skills will prove to be particularly useful. Some of the tiger conservation activities that you will likely be engaged in are going to include tracking tigers via camera tracks. Not only will you learn how to set up and use these traps, but tigers are not the only animals that you will be tracking. Depending on the location of your tiger conservation program and the program specifications, tracking the following animals might be part of your job description, too:

• Sun Bears
• Tapirs
• Elephants
• Leopards
• Lions

A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

Seeing tiger roam wild in their natural habitat is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you will never forget. That alone is reason enough for many people to pack their bags and volunteer abroad with tigers.

Learning

But apart from that, there are plenty of other reasons why this kind of volunteer work could be the right choice for you. If you are interested in studying biology or veterinary medicine, a volunteer program working with tigers will be a great fit. You will gain hands-on experience and get the first insight into the daily work of trained wildlife experts and biologists, which will certainly come in handy at a later point in your career.

Boost Future Career Opportunities

Being able to list this kind of work experience on your resume is another bonus, even if you are not planning on pursuing a career in this field. It shows that you are capable of physically hard and hands-on work and that you are motivated to volunteer your free-time to a meaningful cause.

Improve Language / Communication Skills

You will improve your language skills whilst working on site as the main language spoken is English. Immersing yourself in a foreign culture and living abroad will definitely make you grow as a person and give you a different perspective.

Having Fun and Meeting New People

And let’s not forget that the time you spend as a big cat or tiger conservation volunteer will also be incredibly fun! You will get to enjoy all the perks of living in nature, seeing wild animals up close, and facing new challenges. The best part is that you will be surrounded by like-minded individuals that share your passion for lions and wildlife conservation. After working and living together for a while, these people might even become your close friends!