The 10 Most Expensive Tigers in The World 

Buying the most expensive tiger in the world is feasible, but the challenge is knowing the right species to buy, because there are different species of tiger in the world. Today, I will be sharing with you the different species of tigers with their prices, to help you in choosing the one that is most expensive and safe. So, let’s get into it. 

Another name for tiger is the Panthera tigris, it is one of the largest cat species and a leading predator that inhabits various habitats across Asia. They have changed genes that enable them to carry out their adaptive functions like roar, hunt, and survive in harsh conditions. They have the unique color of an orange coat wrapped with dark stripes.

These features make them attractive and valuable for scientific research, conservation, tourism, and cultural symbolism. There are just a few tigers remaining in the world, about 5,574 of them, this makes them very expensive and highly demanded by collectors, traders, and consumers who are ready to buy their body parts, skins, or live specimens.

10 Most Expensive Tigers in The World 

Below are the 10 most expensive tiger in the world:

1. Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

Bengal Tiger was founded in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and southwestern China. It has a large subspecies, this tiger has been existing around the Indian subcontinent since the Late Pleistocene, for 16,500 years ago. 

The buying and selling of this tiger is prohibited, but you can buy the body parts without having any issues. The Bengal tiger is highly regarded because of its fur and body parts in traditional Chinese medicine. 

Bengal tiger skin  is sold at the amount of $30,000 to $50,000, depending on the quantity you would want to buy. Prices change when there is scarcity in finding this species of tiger. It can increase around $200,000. 

The Bengal tiger was first bought by King George V of the United Kingdom, from a Maharaja of India in 1911. Recently, Bengal tiger was purchased by a Chinese businessman, who bought one in Laos in 2019 from a tiger farm 

2. Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)

Talking of tiger without mentioning the Siberian tiger is inevitable, it is one of the largest and heaviest subspecies of tiger. It has a close resemblance to the Caspian tiger, and both originated from eastern China and moved to Central Asia and Siberia. 

It originated from the Russian Far East, Northeast China, and North Korea. The Siberian tiger is well regarded for its importance in traditional Chinese medicine through its body parts, and its bones. Siberian tiger skins are sold at a range of $5,000 to $20,000. 

A live Siberian tiger is sold for $100,000. The Siberian tiger was first purchased by Tsar Peter the Great of Russia, who bought one from a Chinese emperor in 1721, but was purchased recently by a Russian oligarch in 2020, from a zoo in Moscow. 

The Siberian tiger is also included as the most expensive tiger in the world, because of its wide, strongest, and rarest subspecies of tiger, and has a high demand in the black market. 

3. Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)

The Trinil tiger, which lived 1.2 million years ago in Indonesia, especially in Java and Trinil, was the most expensive tiger ever. It was the biggest, strongest, and rarest type, and many people wanted it on the black market.

Unfortunately, it went extinct 50,000 years ago because people hunted it, its home disappeared, and its prey decreased. People liked the Trinil tiger for its fur and body parts, especially its bones used in traditional Chinese medicine. 

A Trinil tiger skin could cost between $5,000 and $20,000. If you wanted to buy a live one, it could be around $100,000. The first known purchase was by Tsar Peter the Great of Russia in 1721 from a Chinese emperor.

4. Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni)

Malayan tiger come from the species of the Panthera tigris tigris which is from Peninsular Malaysia. This tiger is highly considered valuable because of its fur and usage of body parts in traditional Chinese medicine, and its bones.  

Malayan tiger skin is sold within the range of $10,000 to $30,000, depending on the quality and scarcity. While the live Malayan tiger is sold for $150,000. Sultan Ibrahim of Johor was the first person to buy a Malayan tiger from a local hunter in 1938.  

Recently, Malayan tiger was bought by a Malaysian tycoon from a zoo in Kuala Lumpur in 2021. The Malayan tiger is also the most expensive tiger in the world, because of its medicinal use which causes a high demand in the black market. 

5. The South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) 

This species of tiger is  the oldest of all tigers, it originated from southern China. Due to habitat loss, hunting, and persecution during the Great leap forward, it automatically reduced in  number during the 20th century. 

The South China tiger might have been extinct in the wild since the 1980s, with the only survivors in captivity, mostly in China and South Africa. 

The price is hard to know because it’s illegal to trade them, but they’re valued on the black market for traditional Chinese medicine, with tiger parts like bones, canines, skins, and whiskers being sought after.

6. The Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) 

Here is a great option if you want to buy the most expensive tiger in the world. The Sumatran tiger, the priciest tiger globally, is found only in the Sunda Islands. It’s the smallest tiger with darker fur and broader stripes, living in Sumatra’s rainforest. 

There are only 400 to 500 left in the wild, facing dangers from habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict. Sumatran tigers are in demand on the black market, especially in China, with prices around $15,000 to $20,000 for their skins, bones, and canines.

Both the South China and Sumatran tigers are expensive due to rarity and risks, sought after for their body parts believed to have medicinal or symbolic value.

7. Caspian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgata)

The Caspian tiger, a big and heavy kind of tiger, used to live in places like Turkey, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and western China. It was similar to the Siberian tiger and disappeared in the 1970s because people bought it illegally, destroyed its home, and had conflicts with humans.

People liked the Caspian tiger for its fur and body parts, especially its bones used in traditional Chinese medicine. A Caspian tiger skin could cost between $5,000 and $20,000. If you wanted to buy a live Caspian tiger, it could be around $100,000. The first known purchase was by Tsar Peter the Great of Russia in 1721 from a Chinese emperor.

8. Javan Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica)

Looking for the most expensive tiger in the world, you should check out the Javan tiger. The Javan tiger used to live on the Indonesian island of Java. It’s costly because many people want it on the black market. 

It was smaller than some Asian tigers but bigger than the Bali tiger and about the same size as the Sumatran tiger. It had long, thin stripes, a narrow face, and a long, narrow nose. 

Unfortunately, it disappeared in the mid-1970s because people hunted it, destroyed its home, and its prey decreased. People liked the Javan tiger for its fur and body parts, especially its bones used in traditional Chinese medicine. 

A Javan tiger skin could cost between $10,000 and $30,000, and if you wanted to buy a live one, it could be around $150,000. The first known purchase was by Sultan Ibrahim of Johor in 1938, and the latest one was in 2021 by a rich person from Malaysia who bought it from a zoo in Kuala Lumpur.

9. Bali Tiger (Panthera tigris balica)

The Bali tiger, the smallest among nine types of tigers, used to live on the Indonesian island of Bali. Sadly, it disappeared in the 1950s because people hunted it, destroyed its home, and had conflicts with humans.

People liked the Bali tiger for its fur and body parts, especially its bones used in traditional Chinese medicine. A Bali tiger skin could cost between $10,000 and $30,000. If you wanted to buy a live Bali tiger, it could be around $150,000. 

The first known purchase was by Sultan Ibrahim of Johor in 1938, and the latest one was in 2021 by a rich person from Malaysia who bought it from a zoo in Kuala Lumpur. The Bali tiger was the smallest, most endangered, and most distinct type of tiger, making it highly wanted on the black market.

10. Trinil Tiger (Panthera tigris trinilensis)

The Trinil tiger, which lived 1.2 million years ago in Indonesia, especially in Java and Trinil, was the most expensive tiger in the world. It was the biggest, strongest, and rarest type, and many people wanted it on the black market.

Unfortunately, it went extinct 50,000 years ago because people hunted it, its home disappeared, and its prey decreased. People liked the Trinil tiger for its fur and body parts, especially its bones used in traditional Chinese medicine. 

A Trinil tiger skin could cost between $5,000 and $20,000. If you wanted to buy a live one, it could be around $100,000. The first known purchase was by Tsar Peter the Great of Russia in 1721 from a Chinese emperor.

Conclusion

Of all the species mentioned above, the Bengal tiger serves as the most expensive tiger in the world, this is because it is rare, beautiful, and culturally significant in some Asian countries. It is important to know that before buying a tiger, you should also make plans on how to take good care of it, which includes getting shelter, food, light, water, etc. 

I believe this article has served as a guide in buying the most expensive tiger in the world. You can let us know some of  your challenges encountered while planning to buy the most expensive tiger in the world.