The Tiger

I hope that this infographic nicely summarises the reasons in 2022 for the continual decline in tiger populations and why this precious, iconic wild cat remains vulnerable. They say that the Bengal tiger population is roughly stable but overall, there is downward pressure on tiger numbers when taking together all the species of tiger.  The IUCN (the experts) say that the population is decreasing and in a demonstration of their inefficiencies they have a typo in the population section in saying that the tiger population is: 2,608-3905,3140. Go figure that 😉. The minimum is 2,608 I guess and the maximum - well you guess. Probably 3,905 or 3,140. I think the latter is more accurate, but humankind does not really know the number of tigers left on the planet because we don't care enough. I won't add many words at the moment as the infographic tells the story succinctly, I believe. It is quite a complicated problem, but the underlying reason is simple, starkly simple. Humans are kil...

Yes, the tiger is the largest hunter of any kind to stalk the earth today . And of all the tiger species, the largest is the Siberian because they have evolved in the cold Far East of Russia where size matters in order to maintain body temperature. The tiger is the largest member of the cat family, and its immense power enables it to kill almost any kind of hooved animal up to large wild cattle. The difference in size between the tiger and the leopard and the subservience of the leopard to the tiger is dramatically shown in this excellent photograph. And note that the tiger regards the common leopard as a prey animal. There is no 'cat agreement' to leave each alone. When hunting the final dash has to be relatively short because of the tiger's immense weight. The tiger can maintain top speed for around 30 metres.  It delivers a massive blow with its front paw to knock the animal down except for the very large prey animals. Once down the tiger grabs the animal in its front cl...

Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan appears to be the best Bengal tiger reserve in India where you are most likely to see a Bengal tiger (guaranteed!?). It is recommended by 98% of clients I am told. However, please do your own research. This is an important topic for some as a holiday to see a tiger in India is going to be expensive. Tiger in reserve. Image: Twitter. If you travel thousands of miles to see a Bengal tiger in one of India's well-known tiger reserves, you don't want to leave empty handed. It can happen. The people who run the reserves normally can't guarantee that you'll see a tiger. I can remember one reserve at one time having no tigers! I doubt they told visitors! The Times of India has optimistically and with, perhaps, over-confidence listed the tiger reserves where you are guaranteed to see a tiger in descending order of the quality of the guarantee! Here they are: Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh Rantham...

When you see super vulnerable tiger cubs following mother in the wild, it is max. cuteness. They are so tiny. You feel that they might not survive even with the careful attention of their mother as she has to disappear for periods of time find a meal. And she can't be sure how long it will take. She'll hide her cubs, but other predators may take advantage. So, what do the books say about predation rates in tiger cubs in the wild? The mother stays with her young cubs during the first few weeks of their lives. Her movements are therefore restricted. Tigresses are cautious and secretive when they have young cubs. They move them around frequently if the den is disturbed or threatened. Cubs begin to follow their mother when they are about two months old. They don't join her in the hunt but wait quietly until she calls them. The mother takes a lot of care to avoid placing her cubs in danger. By six months of age the cubs are weaned but they can't kill for themselves. I would ...

It has been known for a long time, but a study confirmed that tigers don't like the presence of tourists. The stress levels, as measured by the amount of stress hormones in faeces, are such that it can be a barrier to mating and breeding thereby seriously undermining conservation efforts. "Tourists can both promote conservation and damage it." - Michael Tourist vehicles near a tiger at Sariska Tiger Reserve. Photo by Subhadeep Bhattacharjee The tiger is on its knees in terms of conservation, so this is important. Tourism helps to fund the reserves. Almost all Bengal tigers are in India's tiger reserves nowadays. It is a tricky problem to crack. But the study (' Physiological stress responses of tigers due to anthropogenic disturbance especially tourism in two central Indian tiger reserves '. Conservation Physiology ) calls into question the modus operandi of the tiger project conservation program. Tigers in reserves are great money spinners. One tiger is said ...

Wild dogs in India are called 'dholes'. Their scientific name is Cuon alpinus . A pack of wild dogs can kill an individual tiger. There are records of it. Before I describe a fight between a tigress and a pack of dholes, I should tell you that the Indian wild dog is endangered and according to my research there are no more than 2,500 Indian, adult wild dogs left on the planet. Indian wild dogs 'dholes'. Image in public domain. This simple fact must reduce any encounters between a group of wild dogs and an individual tiger in India. Therefore, it is a little bit self-indulgent really to discuss and analyse the killing of a tiger by a band of wild dogs, but I will do so to satisfy the curiosity of any reader. Kenneth Anderson witnessed and described a battle between a pack of wild dogs and a tigress which took place near Mysore in southern India. His account is described in his book: Nine maneaters and one rogue published in New York by EP Dutton and Co in 1955. Here is ...

A point worth noting is that tigers in the south are quite different in appearance to those in the north of planet. So, I am comparing the very rare and endangered Sumatran and Indonesian tigers with the Amur tiger and even the Bengal tiger which not only lives throughout India in reserves but also on the foothills of Bhutan 4,000 meters above sea level.  Map showing approximate location of northern and southern tiger subspecies. There is a gradual increase in size as you go north. The larger size helps tigers to conserve body heat in cold climates while the opposite is true in hotter climates. Image: MikeB The difference between the 'southern tigers' and those in the north are as follows. The differences are due to evolution. They are considerably smaller. For example, in tropical areas adult male tigers average about 2.2-2.5 metres in length which is about half a metre shorter than males from northern areas. They weigh only 100-140 kg. Adult females in tropical areas weigh be...