I left the Mr. Singh's office, dejected. My second day in India, and already I had failed Dr. Tiger. I sat down, hard, beneath a banyan tree. The shade felt good. I pulled out the Tiger Handbook and read the entry for India again: India is the second largest country in Asia in both size and population. It is home to 952 million people and several thousand Bengal tigers--India's national symbol. Many people live in rural areas--often near forests where tigers live. Because of that, there are often conflicts between people and tigers.   Some people kill tigers to protect their livestock. Others kill tiger for the body parts. Traders pay poachers 2000 rupees (US$56) for a dead tiger. That's almost half of what a typical farmer makes in a year. The traders can then sell the tiger skin for 50,000 to 80,000 rupees (US$1,390 to US$2,220), and the bones for up to 120,000 rupees (US$3,330). Such tiger poaching is one of the gravest threats facing wild tigers today. More about tiger poaching Armed with my new knowledge, I returned to Mr. Singh's office.   © Tiger Information Center