Why are the big cats endangered?

Answer 1

Many wild cats, not just big cats, are endangered - some to the point of extinction - due to several factors.

The main reason is that they are killed for their fur and hide as they are seen as valuable to people on the black market. Bones are also seen as valuable and are used as medicinal "cure-alls".

People also kill big cats for their meat and to protect their own livestock. Due to the a growing population, people have started to build on previously wild land which encroaches on wild cat's territory and hunting grounds. Some cats, either desperate for food or, in the case of young cats that have not learned to stay away from human settlements, kill livestock which in turn causes these cats to be shot.

Growing urban areas is probably one of the worst threats to many cats, none more so than the tiger. Many tiger ranges have now been broken up due to roads and houses, creating smaller areas of forest and isolated pockets of wild space. These pockets, while gradually growing smaller, have a far more subtle effect; big cats naturally have very large territories, with males of many species wandering huge distances to mate with females. Trapped in one area, the risk of a limited gene pool and inbreeding is a danger for many big cat species.

Between being poached and squeezed into smaller, more isolated spaces, big cat numbers are struggling and are reducing in number at an alarming rate.

Answer 2

Most big cats are endangered because they are still poached in some countries, and their prey population is not high enough to support a large number of the cats. Many species are not truly endangered, because the carrying capacity of their ecosystem is low, but they still survive quite well there.

Answer 3

Most big cats are endangered because of their loss of habitat and their beautiful fur that poachers hunt.

Answer 4

Loss of habitat due to deforestation by humans is the prime threat. Poaching and hunting (for sport!) are also human conditions that could be halted.