The story

The wild population of all tigers -- including Bengal, Sumatran, Siberian and Indochinese tigers -- stands at a maximum of 7,000 and a minimum of 5,000, according to figures from the World Wildlife Fund.

In southern China, the WWF estimates there are a mere 30 tigers in the wild, making them functionally extinct.

In 1993, China became a signatory of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international treaty that includes nearly 170 member countries. Read full article »