"When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity."--George Bernard Shaw
There was once 8 subspecies of tiger in the wild. Today there are only 5 subspecies remaining. Our best estimates suggest that there are between 5,000 to 7,000 wild tigers remaining today, with about 1,200 tigers living in captivity.
The tiger is the largest cat in the wild and considering a tiger is poached everyday in India there isn't much hope for it's survival unless we start taking drastic measures to ensure it's preservation and survival.
The following table shows the statistics for the 8 subspecies of the tiger.
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Remaining Number of Tigers |
| Panthera tigris tigris | Bengal Tiger | 3,000 - 4,700 |
| Panthera tigris corbetti | Indo-Chinese Tiger | 1,100 - 1,800 |
| Panthera tigris altaica | Siberian Tiger | 60 - 450 |
| Panthera tigris amoyensis | South China Tiger | 20 - 30 |
| Panthera tigris sumatrae | Sumatran Tiger | 400 - 500 |
| Panthera tigris balica | Bali Tiger | Extinct (1937) |
| Panthera tigris virgata | Caspian Tiger | Extinct (1970's) |
| Panthera tigris sondaica | Javan Tiger | Extinct (1980's) |
There are two main subspecies of the tiger remaining today - the Panthera tigris altaica (Siberian tiger) and the Panthera tigris tigris (Bengal tiger). The modern tiger originated somewhere in the Northern part of Asia and has spread South ever since.
THE SIBERIAN TIGER
The Siberian tiger is the more rare of the two subspecies with no more than 450 wild tigers. The Siberian tiger measures from 6.5 to 12 feet in length (including it's tail) and can weigh from 400 to 800 pounds. The Siberian tiger has thick yellow fur with dark stripes.
Wild Siberian tigers are found in Russia and China today. In Russia the Siberian tiger is sometimes called the Amur tiger, Manchurian tiger and the Northeast China tiger. The World Conservation Union considers the status of the Siberian tiger to be Critical. They estimate that the tigers numbers fell to only 24 during the 1940s and have risen to possibly as many as 200 by the mid-1990s. By 1996, the Siberian Tiger Project said there are between 415-475 tigers. The Law of the Russian Federation on Environment Protection and Management of 1992 gave the Siberian tiger full legal protection from poaching. There are 3 protected areas for tigers in Russia's Far East - Kedrovaya Pad Reserves at 178 square kilometers, Lazovsky at 1,165 square kilometers, and Sikhote-Alin at 3,470 square kilometers. Its range extends as far North as the Artic Circle. In China, there are occasional sightings of the Siberian tiger near the North Korean border. The Cat Specialist Group estimates that there are fewer than 50 wild Siberian tigers in China. Because of such few numbers, the Chinese Siberian tiger will not last much longer. It is the wild Russian tiger that we must look to if we are to repopulate the endangered Siberian tiger species.
The captive populations of the Siberian tigers are the largest for all of the tiger subspecies. In 1996, the International Tiger Studbook said there are 525 captive Siberian tigers in zoos. There are 182 in the United States and Canada, 223 in Europe, 82 in Japan and 40 in other Asian zoos. The captive population of Siberian tigers are all descended from 83 wild tigers and are thought to be a very stable and diverse population.
THE BENGAL TIGER
The Bengal tiger grows to be only about 10 feet long (including the tail) and weighs in at around 400 to 600 pounds. The Bengal tiger has a richer color and darker stripes than the Siberian tiger. Bengal tigers occasionally have a coat that is white instead of orange. White Bengal tigers have icy blue eyes and black or brown stripes, they are not albino tigers; if they were they would not have colored stripes or blue eyes - they would have pink eyes. It is believed that there are no white tigers living in the wild today but that the total white tiger population is entirely in captivity. Bengal tigers can be found in Central and Southern India, Southern Nepal, Bhutan, Western Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The wild Bengal tiger is the largest in India. The World Conservation Union Cat Specialist Group estimates between 3,250 - 4,700 Bengal tigers. There are 66 different protected areas for the Bengal tiger in India. There are 3 protected areas for Bengal tigers in Nepal housing 150-250 tigers, 4 protected areas in Bhutan housing 50-250 tigers, 3 protected areas in Bangladesh housing 300-450 tigers. The number of wild Bengal tigers in Myanmar is unknown.
Bengal tigers have been captive in zoos since 1880. The first zoo in India to house tigers was the Alipore Zoo in Calcutta. They have been bred so successfully in captivity that there are too many today. Many are sent to sancturaries to live out their life. The International Tiger Studbook says the total captive population of pure-bred (there has been a lot of crossing of pure Bengals with tigers of unknown descent) Bengal tigers is 333. Of those 333, 289 have the orange color and the remaining 44 are white. All of the captive Bengal tigers are housed in zoos in India except for 1 female Bengal tiger that is housed in the United States.
THE SUMATRAN TIGER
The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of the subspecies of tiger. The Sumatran male tiger weighs between 220 - 300 while the female weighs between 160 - 240 lbs and stands 2.5 feet tall at shoulder. The Sumatran male is 8 - 9 feet long from its nose to tail while the female is 7 - 8 feet long and can be found in portions of Sumatra. The documentation of the Sumatran tiger has been very poor. An estimated 1,000 tigers in Sumatra in 1978 but subsequent agricultural developement has decreased the tiger population and habitat. In 1992, the Indonesian Department of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation estimated that there were as many as 500 wild Sumatran tigers - 400 in the protected 5 national parks (the largest population is in the Gunung Leuser National Park and has 110 Sumatran tigers) and 2 game reserves and another 100 in unprotected areas.
The captive population of Sumatran tigers is starting to thrive thanks in part to a conservation program developed by the Indonesian Zoological Parks' Association and the Tiger GCS. There are currently 232 captive Sumatran tigers descended from 37 wild tigers. Of these 232 captive tigers, 58 are in United States and Canadian zoos, 58 in Indonesian zoos, 108 in Europe, 6 in Australian and 2 in Japanese zoos.
THE INDO-CHINESE TIGER
The male Indo-Chinese tiger is between 9 - 10 feet long (from nose to tail) while the female Indo-Chinese tiger is between 8 - 9 feet in length. The males weigh in between 330 - 430 pounds while the much lighter female is between 220 - 290 pounds. The wild Indo-Chinese tiger can be found in Thailand and Indochina (Lao PDR, Cambodia, eastern Myanmar, Vietnam and Malaysia). The Indochina tiger lives in remote forests that are often very hilly and mountainous. Estimates in 1994 made by the World Conservation Union Special Survival Commission Cat Specialist Group says between 1,050 - 1,750 Indo-Chinese tigers remain in the wild.
In Thailand, a 1990 survey reported 250 Indo-Chinese tigers remained in the wild while a report from the Thai Royal Forest Department suggested more like 600 tigers remained in the wild. Thailand continues to destroy the tigers habitat, thus destroying the tiger with it. Thailand has set up several protected areas for the Indo-Chinese tigers. One protected area contains 8 interconnected forests making it larger than 2,000 square kilometers. Another protected area is larger than 12,000 square kilometers making it one of the largest protected areas for tigers in Southeast Asia.
THE SOUTH CHINA TIGER
The South China tiger is the most endangered tiger subspecies. The male South China tiger is between 8 - 9 feet from nose to tail while the smaller female is between 7 - 8 feet in length. The female South China tiger weighs between 220 - 250 pounds while the heavier male tiger is between 290 - 380 pounds. The South China tiger is found in Southern and Eastern China. It is estimated that only 20 - 30 wild tigers remain today, although there have been no actual sightings of wild tigers by Chinese officials for more than 20 years. In the 1950s, it was reported that there were 4,000 South China tigers in the wild. The Chinese government declared them pest and they were hunted to the brink of extinction.
There are 48 South China tigers in captivity in 19 different zoos, all of which are in China. All are descended from 6 wild caught South China tigers. If the situation of the South China tiger does not improve very soon, then they will not survive much longer.
Overall, the tiger is a very strong cat with a muscular body designed to catch large prey. The immense weight of the tiger is often used to knock its prey down. It's hind legs are longer than it's front legs to give it good jumping ability, the shoulders and front legs being very muscular to allow the tiger to be able to hold it's prey, while it's large paws and very sharp claws enable the tiger to hold it's prey in a very tight grip. Tigers have short jaws that give it a powerful bite, usually killing it's prey in one bite. The tigers stripes provide it with effective camouflage. The tigers soft, well-padded feet allow the tiger move quietly.
Tigers are solitary animals that tend to come together only during mating time. A female becomes sexually mature around 3 - 4 years of age while a male tiger sexually matures around the age of 4- 5 years. The typical litter produces 2 or 3 cubs after a gestation period ranging from 98 to 110 days. The cubs eyes remain closed for the first week after birth and they remain with their mother for 2 to 3 years although they are fully grown at 16 mths of age. On average the cubs will live from 20 - 25 years.
Only very seldom will tigers come together, such as if they are forced to make a kill because feeding is difficult or to drink at a water hole if there is a limited amount of water in the area. Tigers have a very varied diet that includes deer, fish, bison and elk. After a tiger makes a kill, it normally drags the prey to a nearby water hole so it can drink while it eats. After the tiger is done eating, it will jump in the water and take a swim to cool off during hot days.
Tigers live today in swampy and grassy areas as well as dense forests of Asia where they are well camouflaged. The forests provide a good setting for solitary hunting. A few tigers are still living on islands but their numbers are quickly declining due to lack of camouflage. Tigers occupy distinct territories which they mark with urine and dung . They also scratch trees and scrape the ground. Female tiger ranges never overlap but male tigers ranges are much larger and often overlap with two or more female tiger ranges. Tigers maintain their territory everyday, often respraying their boundaries so other tigers will not claim their area. It is also important that a tiger become familiar with its territory so it knows the best place to hunt for prey, the safest spot for breeding and 'danger spots' where the tiger may encounter other unfriendly tigers and man.
WHY ARE THE TIGERS GOING EXTINCT?
Many have been hunted to extinction by Asian poachers for their use in traditional Chinese medicines and exotic recipes. Black markets of Asia can fetch as much as $500 per gram for tiger bones, $1,700 per gram for tiger penis and $15,000 per tiger skin. Also the destruction of their habitat is also greatly reducing their numbers. Until we take a stand and stop the killing of tigers and the destruction of their land then the decline of the tiger will continue to grow until their are no more tigers left to fight for.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SAVE THE TIGERS
Help Save the Tigers
Please do what you can to help save the tiger. If we don't start to do something then very soon there won't be any tigers left to do anything for. That is a loss I hope we never have to face as we have had to do in the past with other animal species. And if we do let the tiger become extinct what will you do when our children looks us in the eye and asks, "Why are there no tigers left?". Just what will your answer to them be?
Back Next Sign View Email
This page hosted by Geocities Get your own Free Home Page