Poaching of Bengal tigers is the main reason the Bengal is an endangered species. Selling of tiger pelts was once the main problem in tiger poaching, but recently, trading of tiger bones has become a more major issue. China is a producer of medicine with ingredients including tiger bones, so they are an incentive for poachers to keep hunting.

In the 1980's, people began to hunt tigers for their bones, but bone trade hit its peak in 1992. Between 1993 and 1994, thirty-six tiger pelts and 667 kilos of bones were found in poachers' possession. This "lucrative" business has brought the South China tiger to where only twenty of the sub-species are living. Only five out of the eight Bengal sub-species survive today.

Poachers can make as much as $5,550 selling one tiger pelt. Today, there is a $140 fine for killing a tiger and a possible sentence of one to six years in prison. Only two people have ever been convicted of killing a tiger. Unfortunately, tiger deaths are not investigated as much as they should be.

The twenty-three tiger reserves in India make homes for over half the world's population of Bengal tigers. Because of poaching however, Indian tigers could disappear within five years.