Tiger

The Tiger is one of the largest of all the big cats. Its reddish-orange to yellowish striped coat is unique among its kind, making it instantly recognizable. Much like a human fingerprint, each Tiger has a unique stripe pattern. The Tiger’s chest, neck, nose and the back of its limbs are white or cream-colored, and there is typically a white area above the eyes, which extends onto the cheeks. Because of the relentless threats to this charismatic creature’s population, the Tiger has become the iconic symbol of wildlife conservation.

Tigers typically hunt at night, practicing a ‘stalk and ambush’ strategy, their stripes providing camouflage in tall grass and forests. Tigers are carnivores, their main diet being wild pigs, carrion and deer. But the Tiger will also take prey much larger than itself, including small elephants and rhinos.

There is no regular mating season for Tigers. Females give birth to 3 – 4 cubs per litter, following a 4-month gestation period. At birth, cubs are blind, small, helpless and completely dependent on their mother’s milk for nourishment. However, cubs grow very quickly, quadrupling their size in their first month of life. They learn to hunt and kill at 6 months of age but continue to depend on the female until about 15 months. They leave to find their own territory at this age. Tigers reach adulthood at 3 – 5 years but they will usually only breed after establishing their territory. Unlike other cats, Tigers are excellent swimmers who enjoy taking to the water to escape the midday heat of their habitat.

Tigers can be found in a wide range of habitats, including tropical rain forests, tall grassy jungles, woodlands and swamps. Wild Tigers once roamed throughout central and southern Asia, from eastern Russia to eastern Turkey, as well as the islands of Java and Bali. They also occupied large areas of southeast and eastern Asia. Presently, the tiger survives in small fragmented populations in only 13 countries. These countries range from India to Southeast Asia, and in Sumatra, China and Far East Russia. Some Tigers live at wildlife preserves such as the Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India. The Pench Tiger Reserve has a total area of about 470 square miles.

The loss and fragmentation of habitat has taken place throughout the majority of the Tiger’s natural range. Land is rapidly being developed to meet the increasing demands of the human population. This results in Tiger populations becoming more isolated and they eventually die out. Their natural prey have also declined in population. As a result, Tigers hunt livestock as a source of food. This causes conflict with local livestock owners, who shoot or poison Tigers to protect their livestock.

Poaching and illegal killing, are today’s major threats to the survival of this species. Tiger body parts, used to treat ailments and diseases ranging from arthritis to bad skin, are in high demand. The laws to prevent international trade in Tiger bones, eyes, whiskers and teeth are largely ignored. Trophy hunting, once a threat in the past, has declined. However, in recent years, the trade in Tiger skins has increased.