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Tiger

Class Subclass Order Family Genus Species Status

Mammalia Eutheria Carnivora Felidae Panthera tigris Endangered

Description

Adult Tigers are l.8-2.8 metres long and weigh up to 272kg. Tigers are the largest living cats. The black stripes on the tawny coat provide effective camouflage in the tiger's forest habitat. Background colour ranges from pale in Siberia to deep fawn in Bengal. White Tigers are not a separate species or sub-species, but originated from a wild caught white Indian Tiger.

Reproduction

Wild Tigers become sexually mature in 3-4 years. Females produce three to four cubs weighing about 1 kg after a gestation period of 100-108 days. The cubs are born blind and are totally dependent on their mother for 18 months. They may share the mother's territory for up to 2 1/2 years. The mother does not come on heat again during this period of caring for her young.

Life Span

12 - 20 years

Habitat

Varied. Can include tropical rainforest, tall grass, deciduous and coniferous forests, including snowy regions and mangrove swamps.

Social Organisation

Tigers are solitary hunters and usually hunt at night by stalking or lying in ambush. Tigers are territorial, the male territory being much larger than the females and can cover the territories of several females. Tigers are excellent swimmers and regularly cross rivers, lakes or bays to hunt.

Predators

Only humans through hunting and destruction of habitat.

Diet in the Wild

Mostly large mammals, e.g. deer, but also birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

Diet at the Zoo

Horse meat and bones fed 5 days a week. Occasionally chicken for variety.

Distribution

Tigers used to range over much of Asia. There were eight separate sub-species. At the beginning of the l9th Century there were about 100,000 tigers in the world. Today the outlook for the Tiger is very bleak. Although no thorough census has been conducted, it is estimated the world population of tigers is less than 8,000.

Subspecies	Distribution	Number in the Wild*	Number listed in Captivity**
Caspian Tiger	Caspain Sea region of the former USSR, Iran and Afganistan	Extinct, last one shot in 1959	0
Indian or Bengal Tiger	India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan.	3000 - 5300	181 in 31 collections
Indo-Chinese or Corbett's Tiger	Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanamar, Malaysia	800 - 1400	17 in 4 collections
Siberian Tiger	Siberia in Russia, north east China and maybe North Korea.	Less than 250	652 in 208 collections
South Chinese or Amoy Tiger	China	Extinct in the wild	47 in 20 Chinese collections
Sumatran Tiger	Sumatra in Indonesia	400 - 500	195 in 64 collections
Javan Tiger	Java in Indonesia	Extinct, last seen in 1971	0
Bali Tiger	Bali in Indonesia	Extinct, last one shot in 1937	0

*From BBC Wildlife Magazine, January 1994. ** From Animals Magazine UR, Summer 1993.

Conservation Measures

Tigers are protected by law in every country of their range, except Myanmar, however the illegal traffic in their parts continues. In 1973 Project Tiger was launched in India to create reserves to protect the Tiger. At first it appeared a success but 20 years later and at a cost of $40 million from the Indian Govemment and $1 million from WWF, the project seems to be failing. Traffic (a branch of WWF) has started new initiatives in the past two years to help stop the illegal trade. WWF is also helping to establish protected areas in China, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand and Vietnam. Two further charities have also begun work to help: Global Tiger Patrol and the Tiger Trust, both based in the UK. Captive breeding of all five surviving sub-species of tigers is also vital. All animals are registered world-wide on computer and optimum breeding potential is aimed for.

At Perth Zoo

Perth Zoo has begun a new breeding program involving the Sumatran Tiger with a male bred at Melbourne Zoo and a female from Surabaya Zoo in Java, Indonesia.