No, there is a different word for tiger. I think that there was an Asian
form of lion -- Assyrian etc reliefs often show lion-hunting scenes. My
guess is that they were hunted into extinction to satisfy the egos of kings.
Tangentially, elephants and rhinoceroses existed in ancient China but they
too were hunted into extinction. And the way things are going now, many
other creatures will soon become extinct in the wild around the world.