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Conservationists report world tiger populations are up by 40%, more than previously thought

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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reports that tigerpopulations, while still on their endangered species list, are up worldwide by 40% since 2015.

It is estimated that some 3,726 to 5,578 tigers live in various parts of the world, with conservationists crediting improved care and monitoring of the animals as the reason for the increase.

"When you succeed in saving tigers or conserving tigers, you are conserving very large wilderness landscapes, with a huge host of biodiversity but also a whole bunch of benefits to the human communities that live in and around those landscapes," Luke Hunter, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) big cat program, told NPR.

Workers and Forestry Ministry officials load a Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) onto a truck to be transported to an animal sanctuary after confiscating it from a circus group that own the tiger without legal permission from the authorities, in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 15, 2005. Hundreds of endangered creatures are sold each month in Indonesia despite their protection under the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species, known as CITES. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

WCS has found itself working in about 60 countries worldwide to try and help save wildlife populations.

Part of the fight is against the illegal wildlife trade in which tigers can fetch big profits. Conservationists find themselves up against a massive global industry.

IUCN said in a statement, "Expanding and connecting protected areas, ensuring they are effectively managed, and working with local communities living in and around tiger habitats, are critical to protect the species."

In June, the IUCN reported that the German Development Cooperation, along with the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Program (ITHCP) had donated millions of dollars to tiger conservation efforts in Asia. The program is only guaranteed to run til 2027.