PTI

New Delhi, Jun 12: Tigers are likely to be the first species of large predator to vanish in historic times if their population continues to decline, according to the World Bank.

"To secure the future of tiger in the wild and save it from poachers, financial and material resources and a strong policy commitment is needed," it said while listing poaching, prey depletion, forest degradation and habitat loss as main reasons for the declining population.

Its existing wild populations inhabit fragmented and isolated patches of land, constituting a meager seven per cent of their historic range, it said.

"If current trends persist, tigers are likely to be the first species of large predator to vanish in historic times," the World Bank said in a statement after joining a worldwide alliance of conservationists, scientists and celebrities.

Tiger numbers have declined from over 100,000 a century ago to just 4,000 with 3,000 of them in India.