Saving tigers

Saving tigers

= Maung Than Weik =

If we can travel 100 years back wards we will see up to 100,000 tigers ruling the forests and grasslands of Asia including Myanmar, but sadly, and also alarmingly, the total population of the surviving lords of the jungle today is from 3,000 to 4500 only.That means we have lost 97 percent of the big cats during a century. And shamefully, even some of the areas thought to be well protected sanctuaries are included in the forests where tiger populations have been totally wiped out.

Historically the range of tiger habitats ran from Turkey through Siberia, China, and South and Southeast Asia till reaching the far eastern shorelines of the Asian continent. But nowadays, only South and Southeast Asia, China and the Russian Far East remain as their last frontiers.

In the wild the total body length of a tiger may reach up to 11 feet (3.38 m) over curves, and a body weight of up to 857 lb (388.7 kg). The largest of all the cat species its most notable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish orange fur with a lighter underside.

Distinct from their many feline cousins, tigers are excellent swimmers who can cross rivers up to 4.3 miles (7 km) in width. They can swim up to 18 miles (29 km) in a day and also love immersing in ponds, lakes or rivers as it keeps them cool in the heat of the day. Sometimes, tigers even kill prey while swimming and can carry the carcass through the water.

Normally, tigers in the wild favor hoofed mammals weighing not less than 200 pounds (90 kg) and typically prey on large and medium-sized animals. These predators enjoy devouring creatures like wild boar, various species of deer, gaur, wild water buffalo, domestic buffalo and cattle. In some cases other predators like wild dogs, leopards, pythons, bears and crocodiles fall prey to the Lord of Jungle. Naturally, tigers do not pose any harmful effect on their prey populations.

As ambush predators, tigers apply the tactic of using their body weight in knocking its prey down to the ground, and killing it with a bite to the neck. Mostly they hunt at night as they are more active in the dark. As these big cats can survive in various habitats they are found in tropical forests, evergreen forests, woodlands, mangrove swamps, grasslands, savannahs and rocky terrains.

Basically, the lords of jungle are solo hunters, and live with their companion or family only during mating season or when females bear young. Normally, they are territorial predators living in their marked large home ranges. But nowadays, they are forced to compete for space with dense and often growing human populations. Across their ranges, tigers face unrelenting pressure from poaching, retaliatory killings and habitat loss that has significantly reduced their numbers in the wild.

Although poaching may be the main cause of the tiger population decline, other major culprits include habitat destruction and habitat fragmentation.

Now the world has become aware of the problem and many countries, organizations, forums, gatherings and individuals have dedicated their efforts in saving the last remaining tigers in the wild and increasing their population.

As for Myanmar it has established tiger sanctuaries including Hukaung reserve and Tamanthi reserve in cooperation with global partners. Anyhow, the danger of extinction still looms high despite the ongoing and enhanced global efforts to safe these proud predators once wrongfully seen as an enemy of humans.

Dr. Barney Long, a WWF Asian Species Expert, once said “Saving tigers is simple. All they need is enough prey, space and protection. The difficult part is securing unswerving long-term commitment from the world to save this species.”

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