It is time to take action for not only Tigers, but for all the species we share our planet with. Tigers continue to struggle to survive in miniscule ranges across Asia. In this episode we go into more detail on Tiger physiology, behavior, reproduction and their conservation status.
Tiger Part Two
As a reminder there are 9 subspecies of Tiger, with 3 now extinct.
Mainland Asia (P. t. tigris)
- Bengal Tiger (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan)
- Siberian Tiger (Northeastern China)
- Indochinese Tiger (Thailand, Laos, Myanmar)
- Malayan Tiger (Malaysia, Thailand)
- South China Tiger (Extinct in the wild)
- Caspian Tiger (Extinct, once Turkey, through Afghanistan to China)
Island Tigers (P. t. sondaica)
- Sumatran Tiger (Sumatra)
- Bali Tiger (Extinct, once on island of Bali)
- Javan Tiger (Extinct, once on the island of Java)
Tiger Facts
Tigers are incredibly agile and geared to be successful hunters in variety of habitats.
- Live 10 – 15 years in the wild
- Female tigers raise their cubs by themselves, requiring her to hunt twice as often. A true supermom!
- Tigers can leap up to 30 feet
- They can run as fast as 40 mph (65 kph)
- Tigers communicate using scent markings, visual signals and lots of sounds like roars, growls, snarls, grunts, moans, mews and hisses
- Tigers use their tails to communicate with one another. A tiger is relaxed if their tail is loosely hanging. Aggression is displayed by rapidly moving the tail from side to side or by holding it low with occasional intense twitches
- Cubs start learning to hunt at six months of age but stay with their moms until they are about 18 months old
Conservation Status
100,000 wild tigers roamed Asia a century ago. Today, there is an estimated 3800 left in the wild across all of Asia.
- Bengal tiger, est 2500 left (Endangered)
- Sumatran Tiger est 1000 left (Critically Endangered-decreasing)
- Amur/Siberian Tiger (Endangered- stable) 540 left
- Indochinese Tiger- 250 left (Endangered)
- South China Tiger – possible extinct in wild, not sighted for 25 years
- Malayan Tiger- 120 max left (CE)
While Tiger numbers continue to decrease, thirteen Tiger Range Countries came together in an unprecedented pledge to double the world’s Tiger population by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger on the Asian lunar calendar, with a goal of achieving at least 6,000 Tigers. While this number is out of reach, countries and many organizations continue to work towards preserving this iconic species.
Preserving Tigers have been found to be helpful to local farmers in India and elsewhere. This STUDY was mentioned in our podcast highlighting just how.
Conservation Tips
Go HERE to read about how you can help Tigers. Purchase only recycled paper products and shop for sustainable palm oil.
Again, HERE is the link to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo sustainable palm oil app.
Organizations to Support
