Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Department to inspect the experimental breeding of tigers, and make a survey on the number of tigers in the country.

The Deputy PM also asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to comply with Vietnam’s commitment made at the Global Summit on Preservation of Tiger in Russia last November.

Though the nation has issued regulations on protecting tigers and listed this species as endangered, the number of tigers nationwide has fallen due to a high demand for products made from tiger. According to experts, tigers are on the verge of extinction in Vietnam.

According to the Environment Police Agency, there are 95 tigers caged in farms, zoos and circuses across the country. In the nature, there are 50 tigers only, according to a national report on tiger preservation in 2009.