The good news is that Bengal tiger populations are reportedly on the rise, but the bad news is that there has also been more poaching of the tigers in their native country of India.

The good news is that Bengal tiger populations are reportedly on the rise, but the bad news is that there has also been more poaching of the tigers in their native country of India.

According to the Wildlife Protection Society of India, 48 tigers were illegally killed last year compared to the 32 tigers that were killed in 2012.

Chinese consumers are the primary market with poachers supplying the animal’s body parts for traditional medicine needs.

One report says that the use of tiger bones is prevalent in traditional Chinese medicine and the animal’s body parts can also be displayed as a decorative status symbol.

According to Tito Joseph, program manager of the Wildlife Protection Society: “The prices the poachers are fetching are so high that, despite India’s attempts to enforce the law, they are prepared to take risks. They are ruthless and sophisticated. We have to reduce demand.”

Corruption among forest guards and policemen is another obstacle in the fight against the poaching of the endangered animals.

The world’s largest tiger census began in December and will cover 500 thousand square kilometers of habitat in India, where 90 percent of the tigers live.