Bengal Tiger
A Bengal Tiger in India's Bandhavgarh reserve.
Conservation status
Endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Panthera Species: P. tigris Subspecies: P. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The diverse order Carnivora (kɑrˈnɪvərə or sometimes /ˌkɑrnɪˈvɔərə/ from Latin carō (stem carn-) "flesh" + vorāre Felidae is the biological family of the cats a member of this family is called a felid. Panthera is a Genus of the family Felidae (the cats which contains four well-known living Species: the Tiger, the The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus t. tigris
Trinomial name
Panthera tigris tigris (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Bengal tiger, or Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris or Panthera tigris bengalensis), is a subspecies of tiger primarily found in Bangladesh, India, and also Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and southern Tibet. In biology trinomial nomenclature refers to names for taxa below the rank of species Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for In Zoology, as in other branches of Biology, subspecies is the Taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a Species. The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European ^[1] It has traditionally been considered the second largest subspecies after the Siberian tiger, but Northern Bengals may indeed rival Siberian tigers in size. The Siberian tiger ( Panthera tigris altaica) also known as the Amur tiger, Manchurian tiger, or Ussuri tiger, is a rare Subspecies It is the most common tiger subspecies, living in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, subtropical and tropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests, and mangroves. It is the national animal of Bangladesh, while Panthera tigris (Tiger) is the national animal of India ^[2]. This is a list of national animals: National Sub-national United Kingdom Romania Australia United States ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus This is a list of national animals: National Sub-national United Kingdom Romania Australia United States India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

Contents 1 Physical characteristics 2 Diet 3 Population 4 Genetic pollution in wild Bengal tigers 5 Re-wilding project in South Africa 6 Using technology to save tigers in the wild 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Physical characteristics

Male Bengal tigers usually measure 275–310 cm^[3] with their tail. The tail of a large male is usually 85–95 cm long. Their weight ranges from 180 to 270 kilograms (400-594 pounds), with an average weight of 200–236 kg (440–520 lb)^[3]. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass The heaviest Bengal tiger ever reported was 389. 5 kg (857 lb)and measured 334 cm (11 ft) between pegs. This tiger was shot in Uttar Pradesh, Northern India, in 1967 by David Hasinger and is the heaviest tiger with reliable source. ^[4] However, according to Mazak, the occurrence of those exceptional large tigers is debatable and not confirmed via reliable references. ^[3] Females are considerably smaller and have an average weight of 141 kg (310 lb), but they can reach up to 180 kg^[5] (400 lb). Males have a maximum skull length of 330 to 380 mm, females 275 to 311 mm. Jim Corbett once shot a tiger called the Bachelor of Powalgarh, with a total length of 3. James or Jim Corbett is the name of James J Corbett (1866&ndash1933 known as "Gentleman Jim" American heavyweight champion in boxing 23 m "over curves" (3. 10 m between pegs), thought to be "as big as a Shetland pony" by the famous hunter Fred Anderson. ^[6] Pictures of this cat documented that it was indeed a very large tiger.

The fur of this subspecies is generally orange-brown with black stripes, although there is a mutation that sometimes produces white tigers, as well as a rare variation (less than 100 known to exist, all in captivity) called the Golden Tabby as a white coat with golden patches and stripes that are much paler than normal. Fur is a body hair of any non-human Mammal, also known as the Pelage. In biology mutations are changes to the Nucleotide sequence of the Genetic material of an organism A white tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a Tiger with a genetic condition that nearly eliminates pigment in the normally orange fur although they still

Diet

Bengal tigers hunt small-sized and large-sized animals, such as wild boar, sambar, barasingha, chital, nilgai, gaur, water buffalo, and they also feed on fish and other animals. The boar or wild boar ( Sus scrofa) is an Omnivorous, gregarious Mammal of the biological family Suidae. The Barasingha or Barasinga ( Rucervus duvaucelii) is a Species of Deer, native to India and Nepal. The chital or cheetal ( Axis axis) also known as chital deer, spotted deer or axis deer is a Deer which commonly inhabits Blue bull redirects here For the South African Rugby union team see Blue Bulls. The gaur (ˈɡaʊɚ ( Bos gaurus, previously Bibos gauris) is a large dark-coated bovine animal of South Asia and Southeast Asia. True Wild Asian Water Buffalo or Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo is an Endangered species. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two They sometimes prey on smaller animals such as hares, monkeys, langurs or peacocks, and carrion is also readily taken. Hares and jackrabbits are Leporids belonging to the Genus Lepus. A monkey is any member of either the New World monkeys or Old World monkeys two of the three groupings of Simian Primates the third group being Colobinae is a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 58 Species in 10 genera, including the Skunk -like Black-and-white Peacocks may refer to Peafowl Peacocks (retailer Carrion (from the Latin caro, meaning meat refers to the carcass of a dead animal Bengal tigers have also been known to prey on young Asian Elephants and rhino calves in rare documented cases^[3]. The Asian or Asiatic Elephant ( Elephas maximus) sometimes known by the name of one of its subspecies &ndash the Indian Elephant, is one of Rhinoceros (raɪˈnɒsərəs often colloquially abbreviated rhino, is a name used to group five extant species of Odd-toed ungulates in the family For instance, the World Wildlife Fund is fostering an orphaned rhino whose mother was killed by a tiger. Famous Indian hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett described an incident where two tigers fought and killed a large bull elephant. ^[3] Bengal tigers have also been known to take other predators such as leopards, wolves, jackals, foxes, crocodiles and dholes as prey, although these predators are not typically a part of the tiger's diet. The Indian leopard ( Panthera pardus fusca) is a Leopard subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent. Recent genetic research suggests that the Indian Wolf, originally considered only as a subpopulation of the Iranian Wolf ( Canis lupus pallipes) may represent A jackal (from Turkish çakal, via Persian shaghal ultimately from Sanskrit sṛgālaḥ) is a member of any of three A fox is an Animal belonging to any one of about 27 Species (of which only 12 actually belong to the Vulpes genus or 'true foxes' of small A crocodile is any Species belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the Subfamily Crocodylinae) The Dhole ( Cuon alpinus) also known as the Asiatic Wild Dog, Indian Wild Dog or Red Dog is a Mammal of the order Carnivora

It is said that the Bengal tiger almost always preys on smaller animals such as deer and boar, but this is incorrect, because, since it is a solitary hunter, it needs to be very strong to enable it to take down large prey such as gaur and water buffalo. A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. Bengal tigers prefer to hunt mostly by day, but are awake in the nighttime. During the day, the cover of the tall "elephant grass" gives the feline excellent camouflage. Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism Bengals kill prey by overpowering their victim and severing the spinal cord (preferred method for smaller prey), or applying a suffocation bite of the throat for large prey. The spinal cord is a long thin tubular bundle of Nerves that is an extension of the Central nervous system from the brain and is enclosed in and protected A Bengal tiger will usually drag its kill to a safe place to eat away from possible predators. Despite their size, Bengal tigers can climb trees effectively, but they are not as adept as the smaller leopard, which hides its kills from other predators in the trees. The leopard (lɛpɚd Panthera pardus) is an Old World Mammal of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four roaring Bengal tigers are also strong and frequent swimmers, often ambushing drinking or swimming prey or chasing prey that has retreated into water. The Bengal tiger can consume up to about 30 kg (66 lb) of meat at a time and then go without eating for days. ^[7] These tigers normally hunt deer or anything above 100 pounds, but when driven to hunger, it will eat anything, such as frogs, fowl, crocodiles, domestic livestock and sometimes humans. Bengal Tigers are apex predators and have no natural predators outside of man.

Population

Estimations in 2005 indicate an approximate worldwide population of 3,000 Bengal tigers. Bandhavgarh National Park ( Devanagari: बांधवगढ राष्ट्रीय उद्दान is one of the largest national parks in India The bulk of the population is found in Bangladesh and India. There are about 200 tigers in Nepal and a small, unknown number in northwest Myanmar. In the early years there were probably 20,000,000 Bengal tigers living in the wild. But much later, due to poaching, there were only 1,835 Bengal tigers left in the wild, however, a good conservation program increased it to 6,000; but then it dropped to 4,000.

The Bengal tiger is now strictly protected and is the national animal of Bangladesh. Following the introduction of a tiger conservation program in India, known as Project Tiger, the population of wild tigers has increased significantly. Project Tiger is a Wildlife conservation project initiated in India in 1972 to protect the Bengal Tigers It was launched on April 1 The tiger population of Bangladesh is officially estimated to have reached about 500 (unverified), up from 200 in the 1970s. In the Sunderbans, a 2004 survey found the presence of about 280 tigers on India's side & 500 tigers in Bangladesh side. The Sundarbans (সুন্দরবন Shundorbôn) is the largest single block of tidal halophytic Mangrove forest in the world India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially

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 that tigers have been wiped out from one of Project Tiger's leading sanctuaries, Sariska. The Sariska Tiger Reserve is one of the most famous national parks in India located in the Alwar district of the state of Rajasthan

The current population of wild Bengal tigers in the Indian subcontinent is now estimated to be between 1,300 and 1,500^[8], 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 loss and poaching are important threats to species survival. Poaching is the illegal Hunting, Fishing or Harvesting of wild plants or animals Poachers kill tigers not only for their pelts, but also for body parts used to make various traditional East Asian medicines. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Other factors contributing to their loss are urbanization and revenge killing. Urbanizationn (also spelled urbanisation) is the physical growth of Urban areas into rural or natural land as a result of population in-migration to an existing 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. The Indian Army (Bharatiya Thalsena भारतीय थाल्सेना is one of the armed forces of India and has the responsibility for land-based

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. Twycross Zoo (also known as the World Primate Centre) is a large zoo near the village of Twycross on the border of Leicestershire (on the A444 about England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A former hunter turned avid conservationist and author Feisty 'Billy' Arjan Singh is a conservationist recognised by most tiger lovers Reintroduction is the deliberate release of species into the wild from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species survives General info Area: 490 km² core 124 km² buffer Established: 1958 as a wildlife sanctuary 1977 as a national park 1988 as a tiger reserve India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi ( Indirā Priyadarśinī Gāndhī) ( Née: Nehru (19 November 1917 - 31 October 1984 was the Prime Minister of the 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 tigers genes have polluted the otherwise pure Bengal tiger gene pool of Dudhwa National Park. The Siberian tiger ( Panthera tigris altaica) also known as the Amur tiger, Manchurian tiger, or Ussuri tiger, is a rare Subspecies History See also History of genetics The existence of genes was first suggested by Gregor Mendel (1822-1884 who in the 1860s studied inheritance 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. In Biology, hybrid has two meanings The first meaning is the result of interbreeding between two animals or plants of different taxa. 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^{[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]}. Genetic pollution is undesirable Gene flow into wild populations In Zoology, as in other branches of Biology, subspecies is the Taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a Species.

Re-wilding project in South Africa

There is a Bengal tiger rewilding project started by John Varty in 2000. John Varty (JV is a South African conservationist and filmmaker who specializes in Big Cats 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 of Africa 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. John Varty (JV is a South African conservationist and filmmaker who specializes in Big Cats Dave Salmoni (born 1975 in Sarnia, Ontario) is a Canadian animal trainer zoologist a television presenter and television producer All of these instincts would be taught to them by their biological mothers in the wild.

Two Bengal tigers have already succeeded in re-wilding and two more tigers are currently undergoing their re-wilding training. The tiger canyons project is not an attempt to introduce tigers into Africa, but an experiment to create a free-ranging, self-sustaining tiger population outside Asia. From this population, third and fourth generations of tigers can be returned to parks in Asia that meet a set of criteria which give the tigers a chance of surviving in Asia. This project is featured by The Discovery Channel as a documentary, "Living With Tigers". Discovery Channel is an American Satellite and Cable TV channel (also delivered via IPTV, Terrestrial television and It was voted one of the best Discovery Channel documentaries in 2003. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality

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. An "expert" ( is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or Skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly justly For all other uses see Project (disambiguation. A project, as defined in the field of Project management, consists of a temporary The four tigers are not recorded in the Bengal tiger Studbook and should not be deemed as purebred Bengal tigers. The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in Animal husbandry and the Hobby of Animal fancy, is an official list of Purebreds, also called purebreeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal Species, achieved through the process of Selective breeding Many tigers in the world's zoos are genetically impure and there is no reason to suppose these four are not among them. Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is ^[19] The 1997 International Tiger Studbook lists the current global captive population of Bengal tigers at 210 tigers. Captive is a Science fiction Computer role-playing game released by Mindscape in 1990. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology All of the studbook-registered captive population is maintained in Indian zoos, except for one female Bengal tiger in North America. Captive is a Science fiction Computer role-playing game released by Mindscape in 1990. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology ^[20] 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^[21], while Seatow and Shadow are two tigers bred in South Africa. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Bowmanville Zoo is a Zoo in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page ^[22]

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. The American Species Survival Plan or SSP program was developed in 1981 by the (American Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help ensure the survival of selected ^[23] In short, these tigers do not have any genetic value. ^[24]

Using technology to save tigers in the wild

Though millions of dollars have been spent in tiger conservation in India, the government of India has not really used latest technological innovations in the efforts. In fact, it was the use of technology itself that prompted the latest outcry against the declining numbers. For the first time in India, tiger census was done in a more scientific manner by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), using DNA profiling and camera traps rather than pugmarks. The new method reduced drastically the numbers of tigers in India, as quoted by the forest department.

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[1]. 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. If the answer is yes, then plans can be made and implemented.

See also

• Project Tiger, India
• White tiger
• Black tiger
• Save China's Tigers

References

• [2]The article talks about how technology can be employed to save the Bengal tigers in India. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar

External links

• Information Resources on Tigers, Panthera tigris: Natural History, Ecology, Conservation, Biology, and Captive Care, AWIC Resource Series No. 34, April 2006, Compiled by: Jean Larson, Animal Welfare Information Center, USDA, ARS, NAL, 10301 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA. E-mail: awic@nal.usda.gov
• All about Bengal tigers from Save The Tiger Fund
• Sundarbans Tiger Project Research and Conservation of tigers in the largest remaining mangrove forest in the world.
• Cat Specialist Group on Bengal Tigers
• Tiger Facts
• Discovery Channel website quoting critics of the Tiger Canyons Project (South Africa)
• Chinese Tigers Learn Hunting, Survival Skills in Africa, Leon Marshall in Johannesburg for National Geographic News, March 2, 2005. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. (An absurd example being given to India regarding safeguarding her Bengal tigers by China. Chinese demand for tiger bones and meat for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM has led to severe decline in Bengal tiger population in India through large scale illegal poaching)
• 21st Century Tiger

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