Tigers 'on brink of extinction'

The tiger is on the verge of extinction, UN wildlife officials warned today.

Willem Wijnstekers, secretary general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, said the world had “failed miserably” in protecting tigers in the wild.

Delegates to a conference in Doha discussed ways to end poaching and illegal trade in tiger products.

Just 20 years ago there were 100,000 tigers in Asia. According to the UN, only 3,200 remain in the wild.

Tigers are killed for their skins and parts of their bodies are prized for decoration and traditional medicine.