The majestic tiger is the largest of the wild cat species. Estimates suggest they can live for up to 20-25yrs, regardless of being kept in captivity or living in the wild. Considered to be relatively solitary creatures, they can often be seen wandering alone and are typically nocturnal.
Interesting Facts:
- The tiger’s stripes are unique – just like the human fingerprint, each tiger’s stripe pattern is one of a kind. The stripe is not only on their fur, but also on their skin.
- The female uses the white spots on the back of her ears to communicate with her cubs. When the tigress senses danger, she flashes the spots by flattening her ears, and this indicates to her cubs that they should crouch down to hide.
- Tigers possess antiseptic saliva, which serves to prevent infection by licking.
- Often found near water, they’re surprisingly skilled swimmers.
Diet & Hunting:
They have a diverse carnivorous (meat) diet – hunting wild boar, deer/antelope, rodent, bear, bird, rhino, crocodile, buffalo, but only eat one meal a week as only 1/10 hunts are successful.
They can imitate the call of other animals. Hunting by mimicry is an added advantage to animals; tigers can make a ‘pook’ sound (similar to that of sambhar – a type of deer) that draws the unsuspecting animals into the trap to be ambushed.
Tiger Population:
These incredible animals have been around for >2million yrs, and whilst tigers pre-date humans, the impacts of human development have caused the tiger population to decline by 97% since the start of the last century. The estimated wild tiger population in the early 1900s was ~ 100,000 and dwindled to a mere 3,200 in 2010.
They’re listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature - that means a very high risk of extinction in the wild. WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) has been working to protect tigers across Asia, setting an ambitious target (called ‘TX2’ … to double the population) and for the first time in >100yrs, tiger populations were reported to increase in some areas in 2016 (to ~3,900). It’s thought that in 2018, India had > 70% of the world’s wild tiger population.
Despite an increase in tiger populations, due to the illegal wildlife trade, on average, two tigers per week are seized from traffickers. WWF is calling for bans on the trade in tigers.
How can we start to save the tigers?
- Increase awareness and spread the word about the critical risk of tigers disappearing.
- Practice responsible tourism – respecting these animals in their environment, not disturbing, and being quiet.
- Protect their natural habitat - support forestry conservation, and make thoughtful product purchases (such as bamboo alternatives to typical wood sourced products).
