International Tiger Day - July 29

July 29 marks World Tiger Day for 2022, an important year for tiger conservation.

Global Tiger Day is celebrated every year on July 29th as a way to raise awareness about this magnificent but endangered big cat. The day was founded in 2010, when the 13 tiger range countries came together to create Tx2 – the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022. 

2016 marks the halfway point of this ambitious goal and this year has been one of the most united and exciting Global Tiger Days yet. WWF offices, organisations, celebrities, government officials, families, friends and individuals around the world came together in support of the #ThumbsUpForTigers campaign – showing the tiger range countries that there is worldwide support for tiger conservation efforts and the Tx2 goal.

Take a look through the countries below for some of the Global Tiger Day highlights around the world.

International Tiger Day was introduced in 2010 after it was discovered that 97 percent of tigers had disappeared in the past century, with only about 3,000 remaining. Since tigers were on the verge of extinction, a number of countries signed an agreement at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia to prevent the situation from worsening.

The day seeks to protect and expand tiger habitats apart from preserving these species. International Tiger Day is observed by many international organisations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Smithsonian Institution.

The current wild cat population is 3,900, according to the WWF. India is home to nearly 70% of the world’s tiger population.