Tigers

Tiger (Panthera tigris)
Range: Asia
Status: Endangered (IUCN Red List)

These large cats are extremely dangerous predators. They occur in scattered areas through Asia, resulting in several subspecies. The subspecies vary in size, with one group, the Siberian, weighing up to 700 pounds in the wild! Tigers in the wild are seriously threatened with extinction. One reason for this is the large amount of territory needed to sustain such a big cat. A group in India is working to protect their tigers by setting up large wildlife sanctuaries with buffer zones designed to keep tigers away from people. The major threat to this operation is the propensity for tigers to have a reputation as man-eaters. Sadly, this reputation is warranted. Tigers kill surprising numbers of people each year, mostly because people move into their ever-shrinking territories to grow crops.



There is an amazingly simple and effective way to reduce tiger predation on people (besides avoiding tiger country). A study in the 1980s found that villagers who wore a mask with a replica of a human face on the back of their heads were not attacked. Tigers usually attack from the rear and it is believed that the eyes on the mask fooled them into thinking they were being watched.



There are believed to be more tigers in captivity in the United States than are remaining in the wild. Almost all of the tigers in captivity are hybrids between different subspecies and so do not serve as reservoirs for the unique genetics of each of those groups.

See CCI Activities related to Tigers
   The Ohio Rescue
   Tiger Ambassadors

Meet Our Tigers