Captive tiger populations in the U.S.A. and China - about 5,000 in each nation - far outnumber the world's wild population of tigers, about 3,250 in all, the World Wildlife Fund reports.

The "Tigers Among Us" report finds that in many states, it is easier to buy a tiger than adopt a dog. About 95% of U.S. tigers are privately owned, and eight states, including Ohio, Wisconsin and North Carolina have no laws limiting tiger ownership. A full-grown tiger can weigh more than 500 pounds.

"Tigers are being poached in the wild for their bones, skins, and other body parts to feed an escalating demand in Asia, which uses them for fashionable tonics, traditional medicine, meat and ornamental purposes," says the report, which worries that U.S. tigers will become part of the illicit global trade in tiger parts.

By Dan Vergano