Established in 2010, International Tiger Day aims to raise awareness of the fact that tigers are facing extinction. “A hundred years ago 100,000 tigers roamed in Asia,” explains The Independent. “But now only 3,000 survive in the wild.” The culprit? Poachers, mostly.
Tigers are marvelous creatures. Have a look at some of these stunning photos to celebrate.

A tiger cub in Chiang Mai, Thailand. lejaclyn/Flickr

Sumatran tiger cub at the World Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Kent, UK. Tiny_Packages/Flickr

Two tiger cubs. Washington D.C. Sonderman/Flickr

Two Siberian tigers in the snow. Garg/Flickr

Mother gives cub piggy back ride. WOAW/Flickr

Two Amur tigers snuggle in Switzerland. Tambako/Flickr

A Sumatra tiger in profile. pe_ha45/Flickr

Snow snuggling in Zurich. Tambako/Flickr

A cub by its mother’s side. Amnéville, Lorraine, France. Tambako/Flickr