The tiger may be making a comeback, after many biologists predicted that it would be all but extinct by the year 2000. Conservationists warn against complacency and stress that the tiger is still endangered, but they are optimistic about rebounding populations in some areas, including eastern Siberia, Nepal, and parts of India. The good news is due in part to a crackdown on poachers by Asian nations. Still, the tiger is not faring well everywhere. For example, in the mangrove swamps of Bangladesh, where biologists thought tiger populations were relatively healthy, a new survey indicates a smaller than predicted number of the cats. There are some 5,000 to 7,000 tigers remaining in Asia, down from a population that was probably at least 10 times greater a century ago.
