Tigers the National Pride

OVER 100 THINGS YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT TIGERS !!

2011-11-07T17:22:00.000+05:30

1. Tigers are the largest of the big cats.

2. Wild tigers are at the very top of the food chain.

3. There were originally eight subspecies of tiger, the

Javan, the Bali, the Caspian, the Indochinese, the

Sumatran, the Bengal, the Siberian, and the South

China tiger.

4. Unbelievably three of the eight subspecies are now

extinct. The Bali tiger met its demise in the 1940's,

the Caspian in the 1970's and the Javan in the 1980's.

(Yes you read that right--the 1980's!)

5. The latin names for the subspecies are:

pantheris tigris amoyensis The South China tiger

pantheris tigris altaicia The Amur (Siberian) tiger

pantheris tigris sumatrae The Sumatran tiger

pantheris tigris corbetti The Indochinese tiger

pantheris tigris tigris The Bengal tiger

pantheris tigris balica The Bali tiger

pantheris tigris virgata The Caspina tiger

pantheris tigris sondaica The Javan tiger

6. The South China tiger is believed to be the antecedent of

all tigers.

7. The tiger is the most endangered species of big cat. Of

the remaining tiger subspecies the South China tiger is

the most critically endangered with only around sixty

living in Chinese zoos and approximately twenty in the

wild (although none have been spotted for over twenty

years). This puts this subspecies at the very top of the

endangered species list.

8. Wild tigers do not live in Africa, they are spread out

across Asia and are thought to have originated from

Southern China.

9. A captive tiger can live up to twenty years, while a wild

tiger can expect to live ten to fifteen years.

10. Tigers are an umbrella species, which means to save the

wild tiger we must also commit to saving its habitat

and prey.

11. Due to the cold winters of Southern Russia and

Northern China the Siberian tiger is the largest of

the subspecies with an average length of 9ft 8' and

an average weight of 540 pounds, it has the thickest

fur and roams the largest territories.

12. The Bengal tiger is found in India and around the

Nepal/China border, it is the second largest of the

subspecies weighing in at around 480 pounds,

and is 9ft 5' long (average).

13. The Indochinese tiger is found across most of Southeast

Asia, it is 8ft 8' long and weighs in at 380 pounds

(average).

14. The South China tiger is found only in Southern China,

it is 8ft 1' long and weighs in at 336 pounds (average).

15. The Sumatran tiger is the smallest remaining

subspecies, with an average length of 7ft 8' and a

weight of 250 pounds, this is due to the fact that its

small territories are restricted to the Islands of

Sumatra.

16. The heaviest recorded tiger was a Siberian weighing in

at an amazing 1,025 pounds.

17. The Bengal tiger has the largest population with around

3000. Next is the Indochinese with approximately

1000-1500, then the Sumatran with 500-1000, then the

Siberian with 230-400 and last and unfortunately least

the South China tiger with around 60-80.

18. It is impossible to count how many tigers are left in the

wild but experts estimate there to be less than 6000.

19. The tigers saliva is antiseptic and comes in handy for

cleaning their wounds.

20. An adult wild tiger is a solitary animal and will establish

its own territory, which can cover over 100 square

miles.

21. A tiger marks its territory by spraying surrounding

trees and bushes with urine, dropping prominently

placed scat, and leaving deep scratch marks on tree

trunks.

22. In the scent of the tigers urine and scat is a code which

can only be deciphered by other wild tigers. The

message not only acts as a warning to trespasses, but

will also supply all the information needed for a would

be mate.

23. A males territory can overlap several females

territories.

24. A tiger will circumnavigate its territory every few days.

25. Tiger stripes are individually as unique as the human

finger print.

26. If you were to shave the fur from a tiger it would still

have stripes.

27. Tiger stripes act as perfect camouflage in tall weeds

and grasses.

28. The tigers most developed sense is its hearing.

29. A tiger can only usually expect a one in twenty success

rate when bringing down prey.

30. Tigers like to feed on pig, deer and buffalo, but will also

eat smaller prey such as rabbit and fish.

31. On average a tiger can eat up to 60 pounds of meat at

one time.

32. After a feed, a tiger will usually bury the remaining

animal carcass in an attempt to hide it from scavengers,

and then exhume it for its next meal.

33. A tiger can go two to three days without eating.

34. In a part of India called Sunderbans tigers have been

known to eat man.

35. To deter these attacks villagers wear masks on the

back of their heads as attacks are always from behind.

36. A tiger can spend up to eighteen hours sleeping.

37. Tigers can swim and like to cool down by sitting neck

deep in water holes.

38. Tigers reach maturity and are ready for mating at the

age of three.

39. A male tiger can copulate up to six times an hour.

40. A female tiger will usually give birth to 2-3 cubs in the

wild, unfortunately the fatality rate for cubs can be

quite high.

41. The gestation period can range from 102-106 days from

time of conception.

42. All tigers typically show a 1:1 sex ratio at birth.

43. Tiger cubs are blind at birth.

44. A tiger cub can gain 100 grams in weight per day.

45. A cub will begin eating solid food at around 12-13 weeks

and should be completely weaned around seventeen

weeks.

46. Tiger cubs play-fight with their siblings, which enables

them to gain strength and speed.

47. It is believed that the two white dots on the back of a

tiger's ears are designed to act as a visual beacon to

enable the cubs to follow their parent.

48. A tiger cub will make its first kill around 18 months of

age.

49. Tiger cubs can stay with their mother for up to 2-3

years.

50. Male tigers have been known to kill and sometimes eat

cubs of other males before taking the tigress as its own

mate.

51. All tigers have a similar marking on their forehead,

which resembles the Chinese symbol Wang, meaning

King.

52. Tigers do not purr.

53. Usually before mating, but also as a sign of affection,

tigers make a kind of chuffing sound by expelling air

softly through the nostrils.

54. Unlike the domestic cat the tigers pupils are round.

55. The tiger's foot print is known as the pug mark, and its

measurement is sometimes the only method of

recording wild tigers.

56. Like the domestic cat the tigers claws are retractable.

57. There are five toes on a tigers forefeet and four on its

hind feet.

58. A tiger's night vision is six times greater than a

human's.

59. A tiger's canine teeth can grow up to three inches long

and would be capable of crunching through the

vertebrae of any creature on this earth.

60. Adult tigers have thirty teeth.

61. On average a tigers tail is around four feet long or half

the length of its body.

62. The tail gives the tiger extra balance when running and

is also used to communicate to other tigers.

63. The tendons in a tiger's leg are so strong that an animal

has been known to remain standing after it has been

shot dead.

64. The Sumatran tiger has the most pronounced ruff

around its neck.

65. The South China tiger has the fewest stripes.

66. The fore limbs of a tiger are more powerful than the

hind limbs for grabbing large prey.

67. In Chinese, tiger means Wu Lao Hu. In Hindi it

means Bagh, Sher. In Indonesian it means Harimau,

Macan. In Korean it means Ho Lang-ee. In Vietnamese

it means Cop. In Thai and Lao it means Seua.

In Nepalese it means Bagh. In Burmese it means Kyar.

And in Malay it means Harimau.

68. Tigers move both legs on one side of the body almost

simultaneously when they walk.

69. The South China tiger has a slightly different shaped

skull to the other subspecies, its eye sockets are deeper

and it has a slight hump on the back of its neck.

70. Most tigers are orange with black stripes and a white

underbelly and jowl.

71. A white tiger is not an albino, all white tigers are

believed to have descended from a single white Bengal

male called Mohan.

72. It is said that the South China tiger is impossible to

train, many Chinese circuses gave up after trying to

implement them into their acts.

73. The tiger is revered in Chinese mythology and is said to

have magical powers.

74. The tiger is the third animal in the Chinese zodiac.

75. Yin and Yang is sometimes represented by a Yin tigress

and a Yang dragon.

76. It is believed that when a tiger dies its spirit enters the

ground and becomes amber.

77. It is also believed in Chinese mythology that the tiger

can take human form.

78. The demise of the tiger is due to loss of habitat and the

use of tiger parts in traditional Chinese medicines.

79. Every single part of the tiger is used in traditional

Chinese medicine.

80. Tiger derivatives have been used in traditional Chinese

medicines for over 1000 years.

81. There is not a shred of scientific evidence to back up

claims that any of these remedies work.

82. Some traditional Chinese remedies are dangerous.

83. Tiger parts are also used as trophies, trinkets and aids

to ward off evil spirits.

84. In Asia illegal tiger farms operate to supply tigers for

the traditional Chinese medicine market.

85. In 1959 The Siberian tiger was declared an endangered

species and awarded protection.

86. In 1959 The South China tiger was declared a pest and

a bounty was placed on its head.

87. In 1959 there were approximately 4000 South China

tigers in the wild.

88. Between 1960 and 1984 3000 South China tiger pelts

were officially recorded.

89. Many so called tiger activists have given up on the

South China tiger.

90. Now the Chinese government is completely dedicated

to saving the South China tiger.

91. As the trade for tiger parts has now been forced

underground the incentives for poachers have greatly

increased, one tiger carcass can mean as much as ten

years pay.

92. The main users of illegal animal derivatives are, China,

Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.

93. Tiger powders and potions can be bought all over the

USA, Europe and the UK.

94. There are believed to be 120 outlets selling tiger

derivatives in Australia alone.

95. Tiger populations are being cut off as their territories

shrink and the corridors which join them together are

being destroyed.

96. It is estimated that Bengal tigers are still being killed by

poachers and villagers at the rate of one per day.

97. In the 1980's public tiger slaughters were common in

Taiwan.

98. A single brewery in Taiwan imported 2,000kg of tiger

bone annually during the 1980's, the equivalent of

100-200 tiger carcasses, to produce 100,000 bottles of

tiger wine.

99. There are now more tigers in captivity than there are in

the wild.

100. We could lose the wild tiger in as little as five years

time.

101. The tiger has only one predator...MAN!

102. A group of tigers is called a Streak.

103. There were believed to be 100,000 wild tigers at the

beginning of the last century.

104. There are twice as many captive tigers in the USA

than there are anywhere in the wild.

105. The tiger's stripes form what is called disruptive

camouflage, which is an illusion that appears to change

their shape and blend them into their surroundings.

106. A tiger is Diurnal, which means its peak times of activity

are dawn and dusk.

107. A tiger eats around six kilos of meat per day, but can

go as long as a week without a meal.

108. Approximately fifty humans are killed by tigers each

year.

109. The Tiger Chase is the first novel written about the

South China tiger.

110. Tigers will occasionally eat vegetation for dietary fiber, the

fruit of the Slow Match Tree being favored.

Tigers in Captivity

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Tigers, in my opinion, are some of the most beautiful and powerful animals in the world. Sadly, because of the Asian black part and illegal trade of tiger parts, they are becoming more and more rapidly endangered. Poachers kill them for their bones and organs. Only 4000-7000 remain today in Asia. And I feel privileged to spend two weeks a year at a zoo camp, to see tigers, as well s lions, jaguars, wolves, monkeys, foxes, raccoons, and other exotic and unique animals up-close. So, while no owning tiger myself, here is some info for those who want to wok with captive tigers, or, already work with these felines and want to do more for them.

Do tigers make good pets? A short answer, I compared to a domestic cat or dog is no. However, for the right experience, and knowledgably person, they can be good companions in captivity. Great thought and decisions should be made before the purchase of one. Keep in mind they can live for over twenty-five years, spray like crazy, and do have the ability to kill their “owners.” I myself don’t like to refer to tigers as pets, as they can never be. They are more captive opinions than pets. I’ve only ever heard of two cases where lions or tigers could live in a human household. And a garage or small backyard will not work to house one at adult size, which is about 300-800 pounds, sometimes 900 for a larger than average male Amur tiger! Tigers do cost a lot, thousands of dollars a year to feed, cage, entertain, and more. They shouldn’t be kept in a neighborhood, as neighbors will probably complain, or folks might set them free or stick their hand through the wire to touch the orange fur.

The first question to be asked is “Do I have the time, space, patience, money, and love for a tiger?” They aren’t like dogs, and no where near domestic. Also, state or province and city laws need to be fulfilled. Contact your city government and find out if a tiger is legal. An exotic vet should be seeked beforehand. If you have trouble locating one, contact a nearby zoo and see if their vet will help. A large cage a pool needs to be installed, for a tiger will leap out of a yard easily. And this animal must never be said as a pet. They are dangerous, and even the most tame tiger will become aggressive at the worst of times.

Caging- Chain link can be used. The pen should be at least 50’x50’ in perimeter or 1000’ in area, although ½ acre to several acres is more acceptable. It should be 12’ high with a top, for a determined tiger will jump out. If it is several acres big, it should be around twenty feet high with something electric at the top in case of an escape. A bottom is necessary, can be surrounded by cement and have chain link underground. There should be natural vegetation, trees, combing logs, scrubs, cat grass and catnip. Around the cage perimeter should be a security fence with a padlock to keep out the unwanted, as with the actual cage as well. For the tiger, there should be a lockout pen on the side, where the cat can be locked out to clean the cat or to inspect the cat up close. As tigers adore water, there should be a pool inside, it can be professionally made, or by using the largest of Rubbermaid storing boxes. If the Rubbermaid is used, use thick wire and attach it to the side to prevent tipping. If water filling is one outside cage, make sure it is not going through the chain link, as the tiger might grab it a play a mega game of tiger tug-of-war (we did this with an Amur tigress, and she broke the hose!) A hiding hole big enough for a tiger to curl up in should be made, and while some tigers enjoy rain, at least part of the cage should be cover to protect them from the elements.

Where to get a tiger from? They can be purchased at auctions, from overgrown zoos and sanctuaries. Photo cubs can be rescued. But if bought from a breeder, make sure you know the cub is healthy and use to humans. Only ship one if it is only possible option. Try taking it to a vet appointment right after purchase. On the first night home, prepare a bottle, but don’t force it on them the first night. Let them get a good sleep alone. Let them outdoors to do their business.

Bottle-feeding-Sometimes breeders get mixed up on tiger genders. To tell them apart if you are uncertain, look at a tiger’s rear. This should work if the tiger isn’t natured/ spayed. If there are two balls hanging, it’s a boy. If not, you baby’s a girl.

The cub should be bought at a young age to be on milk. KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement) mixed with plain yogurt and distilled water and vitamins in a 2oz animal baby bottle with a rounded nipple can be used. Blend it together in a blender, and then heat it up. Test the milk on your arm to see if it’s the right temperature. NEVER feed the cub on its back! Either have it sitting or standing on your lap or on a table. To tell how much the cub should be fed take the cubs weight in grams, and give it 5% of its weight it ml. Ex A 200g tiger cub gets 10ml. For the first few weeks, give it milk once every couple of hours. Give the cub less as it gets older. Make sure he/she’s not drinking to fast or too slow. Once their done, pop the nipple out of their mouth, and burp them by holding them with one hand. As the cub matures, add raw turkey to the mil. While it can be weaned at several months of age, I have hard of tigers taking the bottle well in years of age.

De-clawing- De-clawing is a personal choice. In my opinion is to make life or a tiger as natural as possible. It is natural for a tiger to run their caws through wood and rip open an animal carcass. As cubs, tiger paws should be handled early, and have large mechanical tools to clip their nails. Declawing should only be done by a professional vet. Defanging is not at all recommended.

1 or 2? - Should only one tiger or a pair be purchased? That is also personal choice. Tigers are in the wild solitary. If kept in same gender or even opposite gender pairs, they may often fight, whether playfully or in anger. But tigers can be raised with buddies. It is up to the caretaker to choose what is best for the tiger.

Feeding- While adults can still use the bottle, tigers all need meat. Ten pounds a day is fine most months, but several more are needed in the winter months. If they won’t accept plain meat, try coating with milk formula. Whole prey animals are suggested. Animals that can be used to feed are deer, cow and beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit, squirrel, horse, game bird, and others. Try to ask head hunters for unwanted meat, or those working in slaughterhouses for rejected cows and pigs. Bones, hair, organs should be left in unless the tiger is too young to butcher its own food. Hand feed them as cubs, let them lick the blood off your hands, letting them know you’re not a threat, and that your hand’s not food. Have a cement water bottle, should be changed twice a day. Rejected carcasses should be taken out of the cage as often as possible. Fast tigers once a week. On fasting days, give bones, especially from animal knuckles and necks.

Books, Movies and websites about Tigers

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Books, Movies and websites about Tigers

Nonfiction

Zamba-Ralph Helfer

The Lady and her Tiger

Living with big cats-the story of jungle Larry, safari Jane and David tetzlaff

The Final confession of Mabel Stark

Hold that tiger!-Stark (probably out of print)

Born free

Living free

Forever free

Queen of Shaba-joy Adamson

Prince of cats

Tiger! Tiger!

Tiger haven

Tara: a tigress-Arjan Singh

Tigers the secret life

Tigers in the snow

Untamed

Here Keller, train this

My pride and joy-George Adamson

Fiction

Claws-Dan Greeburg (good, but I don't agree with how they stop the tigers from messing with them by smacking them on the nose.)

Tiger by the tail

Tiger in trouble

Tiger town-series in reading order by Eric Walters (Definitely has good realistic info, he based tiger in Trouble on Zoo camp, I met him once)

Tiger, Tiger, Melvin Burgess

Tiger, Tiger, Lynne Reid Banks

Lord of the kill

The tiger Rising (A good read, but doesn't approve of ownership.)

A tiger for Malgudi

the jungle book- Rudyard Kipling (not on caring for tigers, 1 out of 10 rating, but can be liked by others.)

Movies

Two Brothers (11 out of 10, but doesn't approve of ownership.)

India tiger

A tiger walks

Tigers of the snow

Living with tigers

Land of the tiger

Websites

TIGERS www.tiger-animal-actors.com

Some cute images that the poachers must see

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Do the poachers have heart and do they have any emotions

Tigers Our National Pride

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Tigers are the largest existing members of the cat family, after the liger (only lives in captivity.) Tigers live only in Asia, in which they once roamed all across, from the islands of Java, Bali, Sumatra, to the freezing taigas of Siberia. Tigers are famous for their thick, orange-tawny coats, gleaming amber-gold eyes, black to rich brown stripes, and long, whip-like tail. These cats have the longest canine teeth of any land mammal, sometimes three to four inches long,. Like most cats, with the exception of the cheetah, tigers have retractable claws, keeping them extremely sharp for battle and gripping, having the ability to sheath and unsheathe them when need be. A tiger has an orange-brown coat with stripes, except for the genetic mutated white tigers and golden tabby tigers, now only existing in captivity, with only around 200 white tigers, and only 30 golden tabbies. Tigers, depending on the subspecies and gender, can be from seven feet long to thirteen feet long from nose to tail tip, the tail being sometimes more than four feet long, and anywhere from three hundred to eight hundred pounds, males generally more massive and longer than females (the largest recorded tiger was a male Amur weighing 1025 pounds.) The tail of a tiger is used in communication. A tiger with a held up, wagging tail is happy, a tail at body height wagging means a tiger is excited. When a tiger twitches its tail between its legs-watch your step! Tigers have golden-amber eyes (white ones are either ice-blue, green, and sometimes amber) with a type of third eyelid, and, while color blind, have night vision six times better than a humans, sensitive and acute hearing, and an OK sense of smell. The ears have white bull’s eyes on the back of them, so a mother with cubs can see her cubs, and so the cubs see her. Tigers use their orange-tawny hides and stripes to blend in with their surroundings, as they can run 35 m/p/h, but have quick stamina's.

In 1900, there were over 100,000 tigers in Asia, and nine subspecies. Now, thee are extinct, and there are only 4000-7000 in the wild land.

Amur (Siberian) Tiger-These tigers live in the Russia Far East, with around 450 survivors, these are the largest non mutated living cats on earth, males weighing 800 pounds, and have thick, pale coats to keep them warm.

Caspain Tiger- The second largest tiger, and very aggressive, often used in fights in Ancient Rome, these beautiful creatures became extinct in the 1950’s.

Bengal Tiger- The most numerous tiger in existence, but yet with a small number of 3000-5000, these cats mainly live in India, where they hunt wild deer and boar, or anything else they can lay their paws on. All white tigers in captivity come from a wild caught white Bengal named Mohan.

Indochinese Tiger- With around 1000-2000, these tigers live in southern-east Asia. Little is known about them, as heir lands are mostly restricted to the public.

Malayan Tiger- Discovered in 2004, around 2000 exist.

South China Tiger- These felines were only given protection in 1977, they are almost extinct, maybe even already gone, with an estimated 20-30 in China and only 60 in zoos, all in their birth land. None have been seen in the wild for ten years.

Javan Tiger- Small, highly aggressive tigers, as with the Caspain, used in the Roman era, these tigers went extinct in the 1970’s. Only one known photo exists of a breathing Javan specimen.

Bali Tigers- Little is known about these 150 pound tigers, and were shot by trophy hunters to banishment in the 1930’s. No none photo is known to be around of a living Bali Tiger.

A tiger uses camouflage to hunt, hiding in tall grasses or snow for cover. The main prey of tigers are wild pig, deer, birds, monkeys, wild cattle, peacocks, or anything else they can capture. Cows are sacred in India, and with their population of over 1 million, cattle is often taken down. Tigers hunt by sneaking up on prey, often young, weak, old, or injured, but are capable of taking out the strong. Within fifty feet or closer distance, they’ll start to run, and ambush the prey. With small game, a bite to the throat is used, while larger animals are leapt upon, and bitten at the base of the neck, breaking the spinal cord. Either the rump or internal organs are eaten first, but tigers may sometimes take the prey of smaller leopards, sometimes killing their smaller cousins if they argue against the taking of their kill. A single adult tiger can eat over 100 pounds of meat and one sitting, and when finished its full, will cover the carcass with logs and leaves. They will keep coming back for more for several days until they need a fresh meat supply.

A female tiger is called a tigress, while a baby is called a cub. The females can be told apart from males easily, so long as they aren’t neutered. While not sexually dimorphic, they can be told apart one way as the males are larger, sand only the females raise young. But if you look at the back end of a male, there will be two ball like subjects (testicals) hanging. Tigresses don’t have this.

In general, tigers are solitary. Few cases have ever been reported of them together. Even then, it is almost always only to mate, or when a tigress raises cubs. The male and female will join an mate for a few days, then leave, the male seeking more tigresses to mate with. He will not participate I caring for his children. The pregnancy for tigers is 103 days, and soon the cubs are born. Anywhere from one to five are given life, but often some are born dead and some die shortly afterwards. This usually leaves only one to three. The tigress for the first few weeks, will nurse and sleep with them, leaving only for food and water. But soon she leaves more often. And the cubs set off on their own. They are vulnerable to leopards, snakes, bears, wolves, and civets in the early days. Only 50% survive to the age of a few months, and still 50% of those live only to their second birthday. The tigress mother will teach them how to hunt, and will raise them for up to two years. Then the young will leave, sometimes stay together for a while, and then leave for good, to live off their lives alone.