KUALA LUMPUR: Illegal trade involving tigers is rampant, with an uptick in seizures and higher trade activity in whole tigers, either dead or alive.
A new analysis by TRAFFIC, the global advisor on the trade in wild species, warns that illegal trade is both rampant and evolving 50 years after tigers gained the world’s highest level of international protection.
The new TRAFFIC analysis titled "Beyond Skin and Bones: A 25-year Analysis of Tiger Seizures", covering global data from 2000 to June this year, documents 2,551 seizure incidents involving an equivalent of at least 3,808 tigers.
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"Most of these seizures over the 25 years took place in the world’s 13 tiger range countries (TRCs).
"It reveals an uptick in seizures and a sharp shift towards the trade in whole tigers, both dead and alive.
"Despite decades of international commitments, enforcement efforts and conservation investment, 2023 marked one of the worst years on record with 139 tiger seizure incidents – second only to the peak of 141 seizures in 2019.
"Over 75% of these seizures occurred in TRCs," read the analysis report, released on Tuesday (Nov 25).
It said data from the most recent period shows a rise in whole-animal seizures.
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"Among countries making those seizures, 65% were in TRCs.
"This included countries without a viable wild population, signalling a captive supply into illegal trade or unnoticed cross-border trade.
"The shift was largely seen in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Russian Federation, where whole tigers now made up more than 40% of confiscations, as well as non-TRCs where tigers are often kept as pets," it said.
The report released on the sidelines of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference of the parties in Uzbekistan (a key global forum where countries determine global rules for trade in endangered species) found that over 573 tigers were seized from 2020 to June 2025.
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"This means roughly nine tigers a month over 66 months.
"India confiscated nearly as many tigers in the first half of 2025 (23 animals) as it did during all of 2024 (25 animals).
"In 2023, there were record-breaking seizures with an unprecedented 139 tiger seizure incidents – the second highest on record, with the majority (105) occurring in TRCs.
"India, Indonesia and Vietnam topped seizure incidents and the number of tigers seized from 2020 to June this year," it said.
The report said there has been a shift in trafficked commodities as tiger parts in seizures went down from 90% in the 2000s to 60% from 2020 onwards, while the prominence of trafficked whole tigers rose.
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"Over two-thirds of whole tigers seized from 2020 to June were in countries without viable wild populations, suggesting cross-border trafficking or captive-bred sourcing.
"Over 1,600 locations recorded seizures with activity concentrated in Tiger Range Countries (77%).
"Hotspots in the last five years were in India and Bangladesh’s tiger reserves, Aceh in Indonesia, the Vietnam and Laos PDR border provinces and some of Vietnam’s urban consumption centres.
"In almost one-fifth of incidents, tigers were trafficked alongside other species, most commonly leopards (34% of seizures), bears (26%) and pangolins (16%)," it said.
Senior Wildlife Crime analyst and co-author of the report, Ramacandra Wong, said the rise in seizures reflects improved enforcement efforts but signals persistent and, in some areas, escalating criminal activity.
"It shows a widespread demand for tigers and their parts," he said.
TRAFFIC’s South-East Asia director and co-author of the report, Kanitha Krishnasamy, said it is a two-pronged attack on tigers.
"Wild strongholds are taking a big hit while captive tigers leak into the illegal trade chain.
"CITES must address this as a priority.
"We are past the point where this can be ignored," she said.
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The report said persistent illegal trade, fuelled by both wild poaching in some of the world’s premier tiger habitats and the trafficking of tigers from captive sources, continues to undermine global recovery efforts, threatening the long-term survival of the species across its range.
"Without immediate and coordinated action, global efforts risk falling short.
"The actions include intensifying law enforcement across the trade chain, closing captive loopholes, increasing transparency and data sharing, and reducing consumer demand," it read.
WWF global tiger programme tiger trade lead Heather Sohl said this report is a wake-up call.
"The surge in tiger trafficking and the alarming rise in whole-animal seizures show that criminal networks are adapting faster than our collective response.
"We must urgently scale up investment in tackling illegal trade of tigers from both captive and wild sources across the tiger range countries.
"Without this, decades of conservation gains risk being undone," she said.
