USEFUL LINKS

please refer these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger

www.wpsi-india.org/tiger/tiger_facts.php

www.savethetigerfund.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home1

www.savethetigerfund.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Donate

THE WILD TIGER

Tiger is a magnificent beast, as we know. The tiger is the largest among all the living wild cats of the family Felidae. It has an elongated body, short neck, and compact head with a relatively short muzzle. The legs are stout and the paws are armed with retractile claws. The total body length of an adult male tiger is between 275-290 cm and that of an adult female is 250-260 cm. The adult male tiger weighs 180-260 kg whereas the adult female weighs 100-160 kg.

The estimated remaining value of tigers in the world is 3000 and in India is 1411.

TIGER CONSERVATION

{There are some useful links related to tiger conservation:

• Tigers Endangered
  
  There are quite a few threats out there that continue to put the future for the tiger at risk. Humans continue to destroy the habitat that the tigers once called home for their own needs.
• Tiger Hunting
  
  Tiger hunting is considered very exciting challenge that many are up to taking. Even with these animals being drastically low in numbers people continue to do so.
• Tiger Conservation Efforts
  
  For centuries the tiger has been hunted both as a sport and for the delightful coat that it offers. All of that time though no one really thought about the future for these animals.}
  
  

  There are quite a few threats out there that continue to put the future for the tiger at risk. Humans continue to destroy the habitat that the tigers once called home for their own needs. It isn’t always easy for the tigers to find a new home. Even if they can easily adapt to a new environment, the fact that they are so territorial is a concern. Many tigers end up killing each other for the right to a given area because they aren’t going to be able to live there together.

  In China tigers are often killed so that their bones can be used to create a variety of different types of medicine. When the people here can’t get enough tigers they use the bones of common prey for the tigers. As a result that makes it harder for them to survive as well.

  The loss of their natural habitat such as for logging in areas of Asia continues to be a huge threat to their survival. As the population of humans grows they need to clear out more areas for them to all reside. In many instances the clearing of their natural habitat is so that humans can enjoy recreational areas, to build homes, and even to put up new businesses.

  As the numbers of tigers out there in the wild continue to drop there becomes a problem with the offspring that are created too. This is because the partners that are mating are already closely related. This is called inbreeding and it often leads to very poor genetic markers for the future generations of tigers.

  It is very important to understand the vital role that the tiger plays in the ecosystem out there. They are one of the predators found at the very top of the food chain. Without them in place it can cause a great deal of chaos as you spiral downward. It can also lead to overpopulation of some types of animals. As a result they will starve due to the additional competition for food sources.

  In order for conservation efforts to be successful people need the right information regarding the tiger. They also need to protect the natural habitat of these animals so they aren’t subjected to only remaining in captivity. At the same time improving the environment by reducing pollution and global warming helps to ensure they have a better chance of survival as well.

  Too many people believe that poaching of the tiger is acceptable because they have attacked and killed humans. In some areas they do also attack livestock which is a problem for humans as well. By helping to give these animals back their natural territory though we will see fewer problems with these types of events taking place. However, if we continue to take away where they live then they have no choice but to find other sources of food and to come closer to humans for a place to live.

  Right now every species of tiger out there is at a high risk of not being around in less than 100 years. That is a very grim outlook that each of us has the power to help change. Hopefully one day all of these species of tigers will no longer be among those animals listed as an endangered species.

  Right now it is estimated that only about 7,500 tigers total still are out there in the wild and in captivity. That is a very low population that we are talking about. Aggressive efforts must be followed in order to protect their environment, continue seeing good genetic breeding, and to allow these animals to live a long and healthy life.

  
  

  TIGER HUNTING

  Tiger hunting is considered by a few, a very exciting challenge that many are up to taking. Even with these animals being drastically low in numbers people continue to do so. In Asia they are considered to be one of top five animals that people will pay huge amounts of money to be able to kill. Since they are hard to find that helps to add to the thrill of the hunt for many of them.

  In the early days the tiger was hunted by natives to the lands for food. They would do so with spears and use them as a way to survive off of the land. However, as their weapons became more advanced they were able to kill more of them. Once the pelts of these animals started to sell for a very high figure then they were hunted not for food but to make money from them.

  More advanced hunting techniques involved having men with weapons hiding in various areas. Then they would send hurt types of animals into a clearing where they would make distress calls. This would bring the tigers in out of curiosity as well as to make the kill. While the tiger was focused on getting a meal it was being stalked and hunted by the men around it. In some cultures actually making a kill of a tiger was considered to be a rite of passage from a boy to a man.

  In China many tigers have been hunted to offer ingredients for various types of medicine. This is very strongly part of their culture that dates back many centuries. They have early practices that are still in place today even though protecting the Tiger is very important. They continue to hunt it though feeling that these animals were placed on the Earth to ensure their own well being.

  Some parts of China though are starting to turn to the use of bones of other animals including deer. They want to see if they offer the same types of healing power that the have been getting from the bones of the tigers. They are more worried about what will occur should these animals become extinct though than in efforts to save them. They want to make sure they still have the ability to make the medicine they need to protect their people.

  Hunting of the tiger often takes place illegally and on a grant scale by ranchers too. They have moved their homes and businesses into land that was once the territory of the tigers. Then they can’t understand why these creatures aren’t staying outside of the fences. They don’t want to continue losing their cattle to these tigers so they shoot them or they poison them.

  They use the poison as a way to not get found out. If they shoot a tiger on their property then they can go to jail for it. However, if they leave carcasses out there for them to feed on that are poisoned then the tigers wonder off to die. When they are found, if they are found, there is no connecting them back to the ranchers. Some sting operations have been put in place to video record such events taking place though.

  In many areas the laws aren’t very strict if you are caught hunting for tigers either. The rewards for successfully doing so are more than the penalties for getting caught. In fact, in some areas they do have such laws on the books but they aren’t ever enforced. This is like leaving the door open to seal the fate of the tigers out there forever though.

INFORMATION MENTIONING

Only 1411 tigers are left in India. We must take steps such as teach villagers, empower governmental works etc.

Tigers are extremely calculated when it comes to hunting. However, they don’t always make the kill as you would expect them to. When they are able to sneak up on prey they only have a few seconds to pounce and to kill them by biting them in the neck area. They can take down animals much lager than themselves if they are healthy and they are good hunters.

Tigers tend to be loners so you won’t see them hunting in groups as you do lions. However, they have been known to share their prey with others which is a good indication that they do communicate with each other on different levels. Tigers are able to leap more than 30 feet which definitely gives them an advantage when it comes to finding and attacking their prey.

Tigers tend to go their own ways except when they wish to mate with each other. After mating the go their own way. The female will find a den for her cubs to be born in. This takes place approximately 16 weeks after conception. The cubs are blind at birth and she will feed them milk from her body for about 8 weeks before they venture outside of the den with her. She may have from 1 to 4 cubs at a time.

There are 6 out of 9 species of tigers left on Earth. How long they will be able to survive though is in question. Right now all 6 of these remaining species are considered to be endangered. Even with conservation efforts in place the future for them seems very uncertain. There are still many significant changes that must take place if they are going to be able to get their numbers up enough to have strong hopes of survival.

Siberian Tiger Close-up

When we say that the numbers of tigers out there are very small, it isn’t an exaggeration. Most of the species have less than 1,000 of them remaining. That means it is hard to protect them and to encourage mating at a rate that the numbers will increase. Protection against inbreeding also needs to take place so that the genetic pool of those that are created isn’t compromised in the process.

It doesn’t help that tigers are often in the spotlight when negative things have occurred involving them. These scenarios include the attack in Las Vegas at the Siegfried and Roy Show, tigers that escape from zoos and attack people, and even though in the circus that have attacked trainers or people in the crowd. While these incidents are isolated, they tend to get a huge amount of attention in the media.

One of the problems with the tiger is that less than half of their offspring live to be 2 yeas of age, let alone mature enough to mate themselves. Those that do survive though are usually about to live about 15 years in the wild. In captivity they can live about 20 years on average. Some of the Siberian Tigers in captivity though are more than 25 years old so they seem to do better than the other species.

11 'topmost' facts

1. Most tigers have more than 100 stripes, and no two tigers have the same stripes.

2. The roar of a tiger can be heard from over a mile away!

3. The Siberian tiger is the biggest of the nine subspecies. These beasts can reach an average head and body length of 190-230 centimetres (75-90 in). They can weigh up to 300 kilograms.

4. A tiger marks its territory by spraying trees and bushes (contained inside the territory) with its urine, and also leaves deep scratches on tree trunks.

5. One averaged sized tiger can eat upto 60 pounds of meat at a single time!

6. A tiger’s canine teeth can grow up to three inches long, easily capable of crunching through the spine of any creature on Earth: like a warm knife through butter.

7. The tendons in a tiger’s leg are very strong: even after being shot dead, a tiger was known to have remained standing. That’s strength.

8. A tiger is diurnal, which means its peak times of activity are dawn and dusk.

9. A tiger eats around six kilos of meat per day, but can go as long as a weekwithout a meal.

10. A tiger’s saliva is antiseptic, and comes handy when a tiger cleans its wounds.

11. A tiger’s striped coat is perfect for camouflage, among tall weeds and grass. Also, if you were to shave all the fur off a tiger’s skin, the stripes would still remain!

NATIONAL ANIMAL- TIGER

In the 1972, Tiger was declared as the national animal of our India.

The Tiger is India's National Animal. It is a royal looking animal known for its magnificence, grace, power and its agility. This large Asiatic carnivorous feline quadruped, Panthera Tigris is maneless, of tawny yellow color with blackish transverse stripes and a white belly .

There are very few tigers left in the world today. World tiger census figures stand at 5000 to 7000, out of which the Indian subspecies including Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar claim 3000 to 4500. The Indian figures hover between 2500 to 3750. (Source : Free Press Journal)

A decade ago the tiger population in India had dwindled to a few hundreds. The Government of India, under its"Project Tiger" program which was launched in April 1973, started a massive effort to preserve the tiger population. Today, thanks to Project Tiger, India's population of tigers is in a comfortable position. The project is now come under scrutiny. Many conservationists are of the opinion that unless the Project Tiger is critically reviewed and analysed at this juncture to make it more 'tiger friendly'.