African Tiger
Although conventional wisdom has it that there never have been
tigers in Africa, there is evidence from fossils that the sabre-
tooth species was found in many parts of the continent until
about a million years ago. The reason for their disappearance is
unclear, but palaeontologists say it was probably caused by
dramatic climatic changes opening up the savannahs.
Asian Tiger
"Asian is a specie of Panthera tigris which is found in the Asian region".
Exclusive information about Asian tiger!
Symbol of strength!
Tigers in Asia were a symbol of strength and royal power and were used as "executioners" in
Asian courts. Only noblemen could hunt them, and interestingly established extensive
"game reserves," to assure an adequate supply of tigers for hunting. These game reserves have
actually provided the tiger with a habitat removed from the encroachment of humans and
subsequently helped preserve the species to some extent.
Religious anchorage!
In the Hindu religion, the God Shiva rides a tiger and wears a tiger skin for his role as destroyer.
In the Buddhist religion, followers of Buddha ride tigers to show their supernatural ability to
overcome evil. Tigers were treated as God by many of the forest dwelling peoples of India and
great temples and shrines were constructed to worship the tiger. The followers of Islam, in
Sumatra, believe tigers punish sinners for Allah. There are many legends about "were-tigers;"
people who can turn themselves into tigers. In some of these legends, groups of were-tigers were
reported to mimic humans and even live in villages.
Beyond the wild zone!
The evolution of tiger imagery in Asian artwork is well
recorded. Images of tigers have been discovered in the artwork
of the Chinese Shang dynasty, from 1700 to 1050 B.C. The
Shang people believed that tigers were powerful ghostly messengers between the human world
and the spiritual world. Subsequent dynasties, including the Zhou dynasty (1050 to 221 B.C.),
began to visualize and depict the tiger in a more realistic manner where sculptures reveal strong
muscular shoulders, powerful limbs with long claws, and a powerful head decorated with deadly
fangs. These later artists had seen tigers alive and were in a fear of the legends depicting their
lethal power. Images of tigers were later placed on tombs to keep evil spirits away and protect
the souls of the dead. Paintings of tigers asleep among Buddhist monks were meant to symbolize
the religion's power to tame the mystical forces of nature. In the 20th century, Chinese artists
used the tiger as a national symbol.
Man-eaters!
Tigers very rarely become man-eaters, as they instinctively avoid humans but well documented
accounts, of including man in its diet, have inspired many legends and intensified the mystery of
the tiger. When humans interfere with the delicate balance between predator and prey, by
introducing domesticated livestock into tiger habitat, and thus reducing the available prey, tigers
often become man-eaters. As livestock become more plentiful, tigers begin to prey on the herds,
where the first human victim is usually a herdsman protecting his own cows or goats. Once
acclimated to humans as a food source, tigers often seek out this almost defenseless treat. Tigers
have killed more people than any other big cat.
The original wild residence!
An vast area of mangrove forest at the delta of the ganges and
brahmaputra rivers, known as the sundarbans, is the original
residence to more than 500 tigers, many of which are man-
eaters. No humans dwell in the Sundarbans, but many go there
to fish, collect honey, and cut wood. Since 1975 over 800
people have been killed and eaten by man-eating tigers, who are
usually hunted down and killed. To save both humans and
tigers, conservationists are trying new ways to prevent tiger
attacks. Since tigers generally attack from behind, wearing masks, painted with facial features,
on the back of the head confuses the stalking tiger with a victim with no "apparent" back-side.
The masks have almost eliminated tiger attacks in the past five years