The population of wild tigers in the world is increasing. Wildlife conservation groups including World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Global Tiger Forum stated this week that there are close to 4,000 wild tigers in the forests including those of India, Russia and Vietnam. While this may be good news, this doesn't necessarily mean that wild tigers in the world are increasing.

Wild Tiger Global Consensus

The New York Times reports that India holds the highest record of wild tigers among other countries. They have more than 2,000 wild tigers roaming free in West Bengal and other reserved areas. Russia has more than 400 wild tigers, Indonesia counts 371, Malaysia has 250, Nepal has 198, and Thailand has 189. China and Vietnam have fewer than 10 wild tigers while Cambodia and Myanmar have no discernable count.

Endangered Wild Tiger Species

The last estimated count of the species in 2010 was about 3,200 wild tigers. It is considered to be an all-time low in contrast to the time in 1900s where there were more than 100,000 wild tigers around the world. The increasing count however, is not necessarily a cause for celebration. It could mean that experts have found better ways to findwild tigers in forests, The Washington Post reported. The WWF stated that the numbers may be taken as a good sign because it is the first time the wild tiger count has increased since 1900.

Leonardo DiCaprio 'Proud' Over Wild Tiger Conservation

Well-known actor and wildlife conservationist Leonardo DiCaprio is proud of the efforts of the WWF in collaboration with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. According to People Magazine, 'The Revenant' actor's foundation played a key role in conserving the wild tiger population. The foundation funneled more than $6 million since 2010 in endangered species conservation.

"I am so proud that our collective efforts have begun to make progress toward our goal, but there is still so much to be done. I am optimistic about what can be achieved when governments, communities, conservationists and private foundations like ours come together to tackle global challenges," DiCaprio said.