Smithsonian Photo by Chip Clark
of wild Asia, the tiger now stands at the brink of extinction.
Come eye-to-eye with this giant cat, and find out what it needs
How Are Tigers
tigris, are the biggest cats of all, and they're the
only large cats with stripes.
Most other members
of the feline family are small, weighing 20 kg (44 lb)
or less. Only lions and tigers reach weights of 225 kg
subspecies of tigers roamed the forests of Asia. Now there
are only five. Bali, Javan, and
Caspian tigers were driven to extinction in just the past
the tiger population change
courtesy of www.5tigers.org
Do Tigers Need to Survive?
area the size of the District of Columbia with plenty of
prey could support seven female tigers and two males.
average a large kill every eight days or so, consuming more
than 50 prey animals a year. In a single night, they can
eat 27 kg (60 lb) of meat.
never live too far from water. Particularly in the tropics,
water offers a cooling break from the heat.
are solitary hunters, stalking and then killing in a blinding
flash. Without cover, the stealthy approach doesn't work.
Growing Up Against the
Danger awaits young
tigers at every turn. Even under the best conditions, only 20
percent live to establish their own territories. But tigers
are adapted to offset such high natural mortality: Females breed
early, deliver cubs after just 103 days, and bear litters of
two to four cubs.
Tigers Are Built for
claws, enormous jaws and teeth, massive forelegs-in
an instant, all are in motion to deliver a killing bite.
An experienced adult can kill prey four times its size.
Hope for the Tiger?
powerful, majestic--the tiger stands tall in our imaginations.
But, in truth,
tigers are disappearing in the wild. Just a century ago,
an estimated 100,000 tigers inhabited the forests of Asia.
Now scarcely 6,000 remain, and soon this magnificent cat
may only exist in zoos.
Do tigers have
a chance? Only if people living near reserves believe
that a live tiger is more precious than a dead one.
Photos from Photo Archives, National Zoo
Tigers and Humans: Colliding
in the tiger. Whole forests have fallen across Asia in the last
century, shrinking potential tiger habitat to about 170 small
fragments of land in 14 countries. Some pockets contain breeding
tigers. But most areas are so small and isolated that if any
tigers remain, they probably won't survive.
and Humans: Competing for Resources
need for food and fuel often pits Asia's human population
against the tiger.
land is degraded, people slip into reserves to graze animals,
collect firewood, and kill the tiger's prey. Poachers
have taken thousands of tigers to supply bones and other
parts for traditional medicines.
reserves takes a toll on people, too. Park animals destroy
crops, tigers kill livestock--and, sometimes, people.
Scientists: On the Trail
of the Tiger
You can't save an
endangered animal like the tiger without knowing what it needs
Fortunately, in the
last 25 years, four long-term, in-depth studies have revealed
much about how tigers interact, what factors shape their lives,
and what makes them succeed--or fail--at finding new places to live in the face of declining habitat.
Such information is critical to international efforts to save
Making Room for Tigers
living near Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal now have
a stake in the tiger's future.
In 1995, Nepal's
legislature passed a law giving half the revenues from
protected lands to local development. In addition, part
of the park's degraded buffer zone came under local control.
With an eye to tourism, villagers fenced off one area
and allowed it to regenerate. Gradually, wildlife, including
the tiger, recolonized.
In 1996 alone,
ecotourism revenues from the project built a health unit
and three schools.