The Malayan Tiger >> The Tiger
THE TIGER
Panthera tigris
Meet the world's largest cat: the tiger. The tiger conjures imagery of a stealth, tenacity, power and mystery: making it, arguably, the most feared cat. Yet the tiger is at the mercy of the world's most dangerous predator: humans. The world has already lost a significant number of these magnificent creatures and tigers face imminent doom, unless a helping hand is extended to mother nature.
The World's Largest Pussy Cat
The tiger is scientifically known as Panthera tigris. It is the world's largest cat, measuring as long as 4 meters and weighing as more than 300 kg. The tiger's body is massive, yet exquisitely designed and elegant. Despite a large, muscular body, the tiger is quite capable of stalking stealthily in dense Asian jungles and snow-white Siberia. It is a creature of beauty and grace and often a symbol of power and mystery.
Also See: Classification of Tigers
Royal Blood
Until the early 1900s, the tiger was the ruler of its terrain, an invincible predator. The true king of the jungle. It reigned supreme nearly throughout the Asian continent from Turkey to Korea; from the humid forests of South-East Asia to the snowbound forests of Siberia and the mountains beyond the Caspian Sea. Sadly, after a century of industrialization and progress, the tiger's time has come and it rules no more.
Vanishing Species
Before the last century, there more than a hundred thousand tigers in the wild, some say hundreds of thousands. At the turn of the current century, however, tigers number less than 5,000. Although some feel that there are as many as 8,000, it would still represent a loss of more than 95% of the world's tiger population in the space of a mere 100 years. What would the next 100 years hold for the fading tiger? An animal that matches the human only in its power and cunning but cannot survive the continuing loss of habitat worldwide. When a new sub-species was announced recently in 2004, three sub-species are already extinct.
Also See: Tiger Population
Threat from the East
One of the most serious threat to tigers is the use of their bones and other body parts in Oriental medicines. Nearly every part of a tiger is used in various traditional medicine, as a result, demand from the East has continued to pressure tiger population numbers. However, there is no scientific evidence that these forms of traditional medicines have any positive impact to humans. Unfortunately, unless authorities promote or highlight current-day alternatives to traditional cures, traditional medicine shops will continue prescribing medicines with exotic wildlife bones and/or parts.
Glimmer of Hope
International trade regulations and awareness programs implemented over the last 30 years have handed the tiger a glimmer of hope. As more people have learned about the plight of the tiger (and other animals in general), more are now aware of the need for conservation. As a result, current tiger numbers can probably be sustained through the implementation of protected wildlife and national parks. However, as deforestation and poaching continues unabatedly, tiger numbers are not likely to increase any time soon. The light of the end of the tunnel is still a mere glimmer.
Also see: The Malayan Tiger
Updated January 26, 2011
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