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Bengal Tiger
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The Bengal tiger, or Royal bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris or Panthera tigris bengalensis), is a subspecies of tiger primarily found in India and Bangladesh. They are also found in Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar and southern Tibet. It has traditionally been considered the second largest subspecies after the Siberian tiger, but Northern Bengal Tigers are often larger than Siberian tigers. So far the heaviest Bengal tigers captured in Nepal for research have been heavier than recently captured Siberian tigers.
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The Bengal tiger, or Royal bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris or Panthera tigris bengalensis), is a subspecies of tiger primarily found in India and Bangladesh. They are also found in Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar and southern Tibet. It has traditionally been considered the second largest subspecies after the Siberian tiger, but Northern Bengal Tigers are often larger than Siberian tigers. So far the heaviest Bengal tigers captured in Nepal for research have been heavier than recently captured Siberian tigers. It is the most common tiger subspecies, living in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, subtropical and tropical rain forests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests, and mangroves. The Bengal subspecies P. tigris tigris is the national animal of Bangladesh, while at the species level the Tiger Panthera tigris is the national animal of India .
Physiology
Male Bengal Tigers measure around 270-290 cm, sometimes up to 310 cm with their tail. The tail of a large male is usually 85-95 cm long. Their weight is normally around 200-220 kg (440-485 pounds), although those in the north of India and Nepal have an average weight of 235 kg (518 lb). Females are considerably smaller, measuring about 250 cm long, a weight of 100-130 kg (220-287 lbs) and reach seldom more than 160 kg (352 lb). Officially, the heaviest Bengal Tiger with confirmed weight was a male of 258.6 kg (570 lbs) and was shot in Northern India in 1938, however the heaviest male captured by scientist at this time has a male of 270 kg (595 lb), tagged in Nepal in 1984.
They are able to stay out in cold weather because their skin is able to handle the temperature all over in any kind of weather. It coat is yellow to light orange and the stripes range from dark brown to black, the belly is white and the tail is white with black rings.
Population
Since the early 1990s the tiger population has begun to decline again, due to habitat destruction and large-scale poaching for tiger skins and bones. The Bangladeshi government is trying hard to show the world that the tiger is thriving in Bangladesh, often using controversial techniques like taking molds of paw prints to track tiger populations. It was recently discovered in India that tigers have been wiped out from one of Project Tiger's leading sanctuaries, Sariska.
The current population of wild Bengal tigers in the Indian subcontinent is now estimated to be between 1,300 and 1,500, which is less than half of the previous estimate of 3,000-4,500 tigers. This estimate is based on a state-by-state census conducted in India in 2001.
Habitat losses and the extremely large scale incidences of poaching are serious threats to species survival. Poachers kill tigers not only for their pelts, but also for body parts used to make various traditional East Asian medicines. Other factors contributing to their loss are urbanization and revenge killing. Farmers blame tigers for killing cattle and will shoot them. Poachers also kill tigers for their bones and teeth to make medicines that are alleged to provide the tiger's strength. The hunting for Chinese medicine and fur is the biggest cause of decline of the tigers. In India, retired Indian Army personnel are being recruited to save the Bengal tiger from poaching gangs.
Genetic pollution in wild Bengal tigers
Tara, a hand-reared supposedly Bengal tigress acquired from Twycross Zoo in England in July 1976, was trained by Billy Arjan Singh and reintroduced to the wild in Dudhwa National Park, India with the permission of India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in an attempt to prove the experts wrong that zoo-bred hand-reared tigers can ever be released in the wild with success. In the 1990s some tigers from Dudhwa were observed which had the typical appearance of Siberian tigers: white complexion, pale fur, large head and wide stripes. With recent advances in science it was subsequently found that Siberian tiger's genes have polluted the otherwise pure Bengal tiger gene pool of Dudhwa National Park. It was proved later that Twycross Zoo had been irresponsible and maintained no breeding records and had given India a hybrid Siberian-Bengal Tigress instead. Dudhwa tigers constitute about 1% of India's total wild population, but the possibility exists of this genetic pollution spreading to other tiger groups; at its worst, this could jeopardize the Bengal tiger as a distinct subspecies.
Re-wilding project in South India
There is a Bengal tiger rewilding project started by John Varty in 2000. This project involves bringing captive-bred zoo Bengal tiger cubs, and for them to be trained by their human trainers so that the tigers can regain their predatory instincts. Once they prove that they can sustain themselves in the wild, they would be released into the wilderness to fend for themselves. Their trainers, John Varty and Dave Salmoni (Big Cat trainer and zoologist), have to teach them how to stalk, hunt, and most importantly to associate hunting with food.
It is claimed that two Bengal tigers have already succeeded in re-wilding and two more tigers are currently undergoing their re-wilding training. This project is featured by The Discovery Channel as a documentary, "Living With Tigers". It was voted one of the best Discovery Channel documentaries in 2003.
A strong criticism about this project is with the chosen cubs. Experts state that the four tigers (Ron, Julie, Seatao and Shadow) involved in the rewilding project are not purebred Bengal tigers and should not be used for breeding. The four tigers are not recorded in the Bengal tiger Studbook and should not be deemed as purebred Bengal tigers. Many tigers in the world's zoos are genetically impure and there is no reason to suppose these four are not among them. The 1997 International Tiger Studbook lists the current global captive population of Bengal tigers at 210 tigers. All of the studbook-registered captive population is maintained in Indian zoos, except for one female Bengal tiger in North America. It is important to note that Ron and Julie (2 of the tigers) were bred in the USA and hand-raised at Bowmanville Zoo in Canada, while Seatow and Shadow are two tigers bred in South Africa.
The tigers in the Tiger Canyons Project have recently been confirmed to be crossbred Siberian/Bengal tigers. Tigers that are not genetically pure are not allowed to be released into the wild and will not be able to participate in the tiger Species Survival Plan which aims to breed genetically pure tiger specimens and individuals. In short, these tigers do not have any genetic value.
The documentary has been proven to be a fraud. The Tigers are unable to hunt and film crew chased the prey up against the fence and into the path of the tigers just for the sake of dramatic footage. Cory Meacham, a US-based environmental journalist mentioned that "the film has about as much to do with tiger conservation as a Disney cartoon." In addition, the tigers have not been released - and indeed still reside in a small enclosure under constant watch and with frequent human contact. The Discovery documentary contains footage which its maker, John Varty, has admitted on affidavit to be false. Conservationists fear that public will be misled in this cynical fashion.
Using technology to save Tigers in India
The WII estimates showed that tiger numbers had fallen in Madhya Pradesh by 61%, Maharashtra by 57%, and Rajasthan by 40%. Compare this with the government's first tiger census; conducted under the Project Tiger initiative, begun in 1973, it counted 1,827 tigers in the country that year. Since then the tiger population saw a steady rise to reach 3,700 tigers in 2002. Use of technology has effectively curtailed the numbers by half.
Tiger scientists in India like Raghu Chundavat and Ulhas Karanth have faced lot of backlash from the forest department. Both these scientists have been for years calling for use of technology in the conservation efforts. For instance, Raghu, in the past, had been involved with radio telemetry, i.e., collaring the tigers. Ulhas has been instrumental in using camera traps. Even the project to map all the forest reserves in India has not been completed yet, though the Ministry of Environment and Forests had sanctioned Rs. 13 million for the same in March 2004.
A recent article written by Shashwat DC and published in the Dataquest Magazine, talks about the issue in complete detail. In the story noted Wildlife expert, George Schaller has been quoted as saying:
"India has to decide whether it wants to keep the tiger or not. It has to decide if it is worthwhile to keep its National Symbol, its icon, representing wildlife. It has to decide if it wants to keep its natural heritage for future generations, a heritage more important than the cultural one, whether we speak of its temples, the Taj Mahal, or others, because once destroyed it cannot be replaced."
External links
- Research and Conservation of tigers in the largest remaining mangrove forest in the world.
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