How far can tigers swim?
It is well known that tigers are excellent swimmers. In the hot season in India and elsewhere they spend a lot of the daytime in water half submerged to keep cool. They like water. So how far can they swim? My research indicates that there are records of tigers sometimes visiting islands in the Sunda Strait. In this stretch of water there are strong tidal currents of more than 4 km/h. Tigers like water. Photo in public domain. The map below shows you the location of the Sunda Straits and below that there are two photographs which give you a feel for the geography of that area. Sunda Strait. Photo; Google Maps. Sunda Strait. Photo: Google Maps. There are several islands in the Sunda Straits but the closest appear to be around 2.5 km from the mainland. The island in the middle of the Straits is about 15 km from the mainland. Taking the shorter distance, it is still a substantial effort for a tiger to swim 2.5 km in a 4 km/h current. The Ranthambore National Park, in India, we...