Bengal Tiger by Emilie Costa

The Bengal Tiger 

By Emilie Costa

Looking Beyond the Stripes

The Bengal Tiger, also called the Royal Bengal Tiger, is a subspecies of tiger inhabiting the Indian subcontinent. Its coat varies from yellow to a light orange, with a combination of dark brown and black stripes covering a majority of its body unique to each tiger. The underbelly and interior of its limbs are white and its tail is orange with black rings. Males are slightly longer than females, with an average total length ranging from 110 to 120 inches, and females with an average length of 94 to 104 inches. Their weight significantly differs with males ranging from 397 to 569 pounds and females from 220 to 350 pounds. 

Bengal tigers typically lead solitary lives. They establish home ranges that provide adequate supplies of water, food and shelter, while still maintaining some contact with other tigers, especially for the reasons of breeding with the opposite sex. In terms of reproduction, there is no specific breeding and birthing periods. Females reach reproductive maturity between three and four years of age and males between five and six. Usually one to four cubs are born in a given birthing period. As a carnivore, the diet of the Bengal Tiger typically consists of of wild boar, badgers, water buffalo, deer goats, and in some cases small elephants and rhino calves. They hunt mostly at night, killing their prey by a suffocation bite or by severing the spinal cord, paralyzing the victim.

Where do these big cats live?

Bengal Tigers can usually be found in tropical, moist forests, tropical dry forests, swamplands, mangrove forests and grasslands throughout the Indian subcontinent. They occupy the countries of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar. 

When and how was it listed as an endangered species?

Over a century ago, there was about 50,000 to 80,000 tigers populating India alone. That number has slowly diminished and has left a remaining population of about 3,500 tigers worldwide. There were originally eight subspecies of tigers, which has now been reduced to five due to the extinction of three within the last 80 years. It has been predicted that all tigers will have gone extinct in the next decade.

With that, the tiger is listed as Endangered in the Red List of Endangered Species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which ensures that international trade of specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. This is an agreement made among 175 nations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for the implementation of CITES in the U.S. Lastly, all remaining species of tigers were listed in the Endangered Species Act of 1973 which ultimately eliminates the transportation and import of tiger products and parts into the United States.

How could anyone harm such a powerful and beautiful animal?

Poaching

The tiger is highly valued for its bones in the use of traditional Chinese medicine. Ultimately, this is the biggest reason for the endangerment of the tiger population. With an increase in the standard of living in Asia, these medicinal remedies are becoming more readily available to a larger portion of people, thus increasing demand. Tiger parts are listed in some remedies, however due to the expensive cost of parts, most only include traces. There has been a recent increase in the use of traditional Chinese medicine, not only in China, but other non- Asian countries as well. This stems from cultural pride among the Chinese as well as the growing opinion in regards to western medicine and its drawbacks in treating illnesses. 

Habitat Loss

With human populations steadily increasing, both urbanization and development must also increase to keep up with the high demands and needs of people. Though this may be beneficial to humans, its detrimental to the survival of tigers. The reduction of their habitat forces them to live in areas where their food and water supply is inadequate to their needs. Not only does habit loss negatively affect tigers, but it also affects their prey. As humans occupy more land, the species tigers once relied on for food may be force to relocate or die out because of the lack of vegetation. Without a steady food supply and human populations near, tigers have been known to prey on farmers' livestock, which then results in death.

Can they be saved?

Recovery Plan
The Global Tiger Recovery Program is the recovery program for all 13 Tiger Range Countries (TRC) and their individual governments, some of which being, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Republic of India, Malaysia, and the Union of Myanmar. The overall goal for the GTRP is to reverse the rapid decline of the overall tiger population and double the population by 2022. This goal is very much within reach, but requires the full conservation efforts of all 13 countries.

To successfully increase the tiger population, the degradation and fragmentation of their habitats along with human- tiger conflict, and the poaching must be reversed. The GTRP outlines how this can be accomplished as follows:

1. Effectively manage, preserve, protect and enhance habitat

TRCs plan to do this by making tiger habitats isolated from economic and commercial infrastructure development and maintain them by creating corridors around and between them that are to remain tiger and biodiversity compatible.

2. Eradicate poaching, smuggling, and illegal trade of tigers, their parts, and derivatives

TRCs plan to do this by increasing national legislation, institutions and law enforcement to fight crime against tigers. By implementing long term national programs and increasing awareness and education of the value of tigers and their habitat, will hopefully climate the demand of tiger parts for medicinal and other purposes.

3. Cooperate in transboundary landscape management in combating illegal trade

4. Engage with indigenous and local communities

5. Increase effectiveness of tiger habitat

6. Explore and mobilize new funding

How can YOU help?

There are currently a number of organizations you can donate to, to help in the revival of the tiger population. By donating, you can help fund the spread of education of tiger conservation as well as direct action regarding the urgent threats of habitat destruction, poaching, and overhunting. Donate today and help save the tigers! 

Works Cited

Tigers. "Tigers- Loss of Habitat." Tigers Website:
http://www.tigers.org.za/loss-of-habitat.html

Tigers in Crisis. "Promoting the Plight of Endangered Tigers and the Efforts to Save Them." Tigers in Crisis Website:
http://www.tigersincrisis.com/habitat_loss.htm

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Tigers." U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Website:
http://www.fws.gov/international/animals/tigers.html

Wikipedia. "Bengal Tiger." Wikipedia website:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_tiger

WWF. "Global Tiger Recovery Program." WWF Website:
http://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/fm-wwf/Publikationen-PDF/Global-Tiger-Recovery-Program-Nov-4.pdf

Pictures

https://www.panthera.org/donate/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAkIWzBRDK1ayo-Yjt38wBEiQAi7NnPzuouBWzXUg1UuJQv7XW5M5l8uz9kyCxeVCJxNM-8UEaAvwe8P8HAQ

https://expedientmeans.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/nts-color.jpg

http://animalsadda.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Bengal-Tigers-2.jpg

http://www.tigers.ca/Tigerworld/images/W5X2habitat.jpg
http://animalsadda.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Bengal-Tigers-2.jpg