SOCIAL SCIENCE PROJECT ON TIGERS

CONTENTS

1) TIGER IS THE NATIONAL ANIMAL OF INDIA!!!2) Introduction3) Tiger subspecies4) Endangered subspecies5) Extinct subspecies6) Tigers of Different color7) Reasons for the died of tigers 8) Tiger Conservation Groups9) WHY ARE TIGER IMPORTANT ?10)WHAT STEPS CAN BE TAKEN FOR CONSERVATION

OF TIGERS?

TIGER IS THE NATIONAL ANIMAL OF INDIA!!!

•The Tiger (Panther Tigris, Linnaeus) is the national animal of India. Tiger is also called the lord of Jungles. The national animal of India, is a rich-colored well-striped animal with a short coat. •As the national animal of India, tiger symbolizes India's wildlife wealth. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger great respect and high esteem.

Introduction

The tiger is the largest of the four big cats, and one that is very fascinating to people all over the world. There total body length of up to 3.38 m (11.1 ft) over curves and weighing up to 388.7 kg (857 lb) in the wild and there are 9 sub species .

Tigers are fierce predators with a calculated intelligence that makes them one of the leaders out there in their natural environment. They have been able to successfully evolve from ancient tigers for almost 2 million years and they have keep continually adapting well to their surroundings

TIGER SUBSPECIES

Endangered subspecies Extinct subspecies

Bali tiger

Caspian tigers

Javan tigers

Siberian tigers

Bengal tigers

Indochinese tigers

South China tigers

Malayan tigerSumatran tiger

Endangered subspecies

I – Siberian tigers The Siberian tiger (Panthers Tigris altaica), also known as the Amur tiger, is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly the Sikhote Alin mountain region with a small population in southwest Primorye province in the Russian Far East and a population of about 500.

• Siberian tigers are muscular, packed with large heads and powerful forelimbs. Their colors vary from orange to brown that are splashed with white areas and black stripes The stripe pattern is different in each tiger

II – Bengal tigers Bengal tiger can be found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal and about 2,500 tiger can be only found. Bengal tigers can be found in alluvial grasslands, rainforests of both the tropical and subtropical kinds, mangroves, deciduous forests and scrub forests.

The males are also heavier, at 175 to 260 kilograms (390 to 570 pounds), while the females weigh around 100 to 181 kilograms (220 to 400 pounds

Male Bengal tigers can reach up to 270 to 310 centimeters (110 to 120 inches) while the females reach up to 240 to 265 centimeters (94 to 104 inches).

III – Indochinese tigers the Indochinese tiger can be found in several Asian countries such as Burma, Cambodia, Laos, China, Vietnam and Thailand They are darker in color and smaller in size than Bengal tigers but they are not lightweights either, with their capacity to reach the maximum weight of 420 pounds for males and 310 pounds for females.

Indochinese tigers prefer to live in forests in areas that are either hilly or mountainous. The government estimates the subspecies population to be at a mere 350.

IV – Malayan tiger the Malayan tiger can only be found in the south of the Malay Peninsula . There are about 500 still-living Malayan tigers but they are endangered by poaching.

These are the smallest subspecies on the mainland and even the second smallest living tiger subspecies.

The males average at 120 kilograms while the females average at about 100 kilograms

V- Sumatran tiger Sumatran tiger can only be found in Sumatra, which is an Indonesian island. If you think the other subspecies are in danger of extinction, this particular subspecies has reached the critical point.

Adult males weigh between 100 and 140 kilograms (220 to 310 pounds) and the females weigh 75 to 110 kilograms (170 to 240 pounds).

This subspecies is small because it adapts to the dense forests of Sumatra While the population of Sumatran tigers in the wild are around 400 to 500

VI -South China tigers the South China tiger, is actually the most endangered tiger subspecies. They are even more endangered than the Sumatran tigers, which are already heavily watched by conservationists.

The South China tiger has even made the list of the world’s ten most endangered species. The South China tiger belongs to a group of smaller tiger subspecies, with lengths spanning from 2.2 to 2.6 meters (87 to 100 inches).

The range of the length of South China tigers is true for both male and female tigers. Males have a weight range of 127 to 177 kg (280 to 390 pounds); females, on the other hand, have a weight range of 100 to 118 kilograms (220 to 260 pounds).

Extinct subspecies

I – Bali tiger the Bali tiger, used to be limited to Bali, which is an Indonesian island. When it still existed, the Bali tiger was the smallest tiger subspecies, with the males weighing 90 to 100 kilograms (200 to 220 pounds) and the females weighing 65 to 80 kilograms (140 to 180 pounds)

It is unfortunate that people can no longer appreciate the beauty of a Bali tiger in its compact size. The tigers have become extinct because of hunting Back in September 37, 1937, there was no Bali tiger left captive in West Bali.

II – Caspian tigers the Caspian tiger as well as under other names, such as the Hyrcanian or the Turan tiger. This tiger subspecies used to be found in sparse forests

It was also found south and west of the Caspian Sea. At least, it was still sighted in the wild up to the early 1970s. The closest living subspecies to the Caspian tiger is the Amur tiger

III – Javan tigers Javan tiger, used to live only on the island Sightings have been recorded up to the middle part of the 1970s.

The tigers in these subspecies are bigger than Bali tigers, with the males weighing 100 to 140 kilograms (220 to 310 pounds) and the females weighing 75 to 115 kilograms (170 to 250 pounds).

Sadly, the Javan tiger has no longer been sighted after 1979 when it was last seen around the Mount Betiri area. During a Mount Halimun Salak National Park expedition back in 1990, there was no definite evidence to support that there are still living Javan tigers.

Tigers of Different color

OrangeThe orange coloring is the most common color of tiger. Every subspecies of tiger can be orange. Where as some of the more exotic colors are limited to certain subspecies

GoldThe golden tiger (strawberry tiger) was first seen in the wild, in India, in 1932.The first tigers to be born in captivity with the golden coloring didn't occur until 1987. The golden coloration is a peachy brown colored coat with slightly darker brown stripes and much more white on the extremities.

White The white coloration is actually a mutation in the genetics. However, it is the most common mutation within any subspecies of tiger. There are actually three different types of white tigers; white, stripe-less white, and albino. The stripe-less white tigers, also known as Ghost stripe tigers, are solid white and only show a faint outline of stripes when light is refracted off of their coats. These tigers still have the characteristic blue eyes and pink nose of their striped counterparts These are the rarest of the white tigers, simply because they do not survive long.

Blue Blue tigers are also a mutation. Blue tigers have been reported in the mountains of the Fujian province of China since the early 1900s. They are called Maltese (bluish-grey or slate blue) tigers, and normally have white patches on the extremities and black stripes.

There have also been sightings in North Korea and South Korea, but because North Korea does not welcome outsiders it is impossible to investigate sightings. Slate-colored tigers may represent a small population where the color has become fixed in an isolated

BlackOne form of black coloring is caused by the non-agouti mutation. Agouti refers to the ticking hair on the background color of a tabby. Certain lights allow for the pattern to still show up because the background color is less dense than that of the markings. There are reports that black tigers are becoming more common in the wild. This may be due to more inbreeding, caused by loss of habitat

The observation that the black tigers are smaller than normal tigers seems to confirm this suspicion. As humans require more space, the tigers are forced into smaller areas with fewer choices for mates, allowing more inbreeding to occur

Reasons for the died of tigers

1. Tiger body parts used for traditional medicine: Poachers are killing these wild cats to get their bones, teeth, claws and skin so that they can be sold for thousands of dollars in the illegal wildlife market. Tiger parts are mostly used for traditional Chinese medicine and are said to be effective for a variety of ailments.2. Tiger skins and other parts sold as souvenirs Sumatra were selling tigers parts like teeth, claws, skin, tail etc to tourists and locals. These parts were being sold at antique shops, goldsmiths, medicine shops and in some cases general stores. Skins are usually bought for home décor or taxidermy by elite business class people. A single skin can cost $ 20,000 or more if the tail is intact

3. Tiger Wine Sold as Exotic Drink their bones are steeped in distilled spirits in China to produce an elixir that’s as incomprehensible to Westerners as it is revered by locals in Southeast Asia – tiger bone wine.4. Loss of Habitat Tigers are known to survive in a vast variety of habitats. humans have caused tigers to disappear from 93% of their former range and destroyed much of their native forests . They automatically have less food, less water and less chance of survival.5. Loss of Prey Population As forests are becoming lesser and lesser, the herbivores that tigers prey on, are reducing.

6. Man-Animal Conflict Human habitats close to tiger habitats is increasingly becoming a problem. With diminishing prey population, livestock becomes an easy target for tigers. Also humans regularly venture inside forest for their own need of timber and other forest product leading to unnecessary clashes. Many tigers are killed as a result of this conflict.7. Global WarmingAs the world becomes warmer, the rising temperature is causing many natural ecosystems to change. What is also alarming is that climate change makes tigers and other species more prone to diseases that were not earlier known so tigers are at a risk of becoming extinct due to a mass epidemic too

8. Poor Genes A recent research that compared genes of ancient tigers with modern ones found that the present day tigers are weaker in terms of their genes than their ancestors. What this shows that tigers are losing their strength, health and are more vulnerable to diseases. They are also not as fearsome enough as earlier to fight various environmental impacts.

Tiger Conservation Groups

1. The Save the Tiger Fund-Panthera Partnership The Save the Tiger Fund and Panthera are two separate organizations that have recently joined forces for the good of the world’s wild tigers.

Because most tigers die as a result of poaching and hunting, this organization focuses on the stopping of such activities, by whatever legal means are available to them. Their proven track records lend both of these entities significant sway in the sphere of tiger conservation

Project Tiger Scheme has been under implementation since 1973. Main objectives under the scheme include wildlife management, protection measures and site specific eco development to reduce the dependency of local communities on tiger reserve resources.

2 . Project Tiger Scheme

the Project started with 9 tiger reserves, covering an area of 16,339 sq.km., with a population of 268 tigers. At present there are 27 tiger reserves covering an area of 37761 sq.km., with a population of 1498 tigers. This amounts to almost 1.14% of the total geographical area of the country.

3. Big Cat Rescue This sanctuary, established in 1992, is dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of all of the big cat species that have been abused, orphaned or abandoned

Many of these animals also come from circuses, in which they were required to perform. In addition to homing and caring for these animals, the Big Cat Rescue team is also committed to educating people about these animals and their value to us.

This organization is not only concerned with the animals within their own confines, but also those tigers (and other big cats) in the wild

WHY ARE TIGER IMPORTANT ?

1) Saving tigers is equivalent to conserving the EcosystemTiger is symbol of wilderness and well-being of the ecosystem. By conserving and saving tigers the entire wilderness ecosystem is conserved. Saving tiger amounts to saving the ecosystem which is crucial for man's own survival.

2) India's national animal - TIGER Tigers occupy an important place in the Indian culture. Since ages, it has been the symbol of magnificence, power, beauty and fierceness and has been associated with bravery and valor.

WHAT STEPS CAN BE TAKEN FOR CONSERVATION OF TIGERS?

Create awareness of the plight of the tiger – Tigers cannot speak up for themselves but we can speak for them. Make posters, organize tiger themed events, chat to your family and friends and anything else you can think of to spread the word about how endangered tigers really are. Help end poaching – The trade in tiger skin and body parts is not only illegal but it is having a devastating impact on tiger numbers. We can help prevent this barbaric trade by avoiding products derived from tigers and reporting any such products to local authorities.

Severe punishment for poachers More and more countries are punishing poachers but more is still needed to really deter people from engaging in tiger poaching. Through campaigning we can encourage authorities to hand down harsher sentences to convicted poachers.

Protect tiger habitat One of the main factors in the decline of the tiger is habitat destruction. Through education and campaigning we can help promote sustainable working practices to ensure we harness the full potential of the forests while also ensuring tigers and their prey animals are free to enjoy as large a range as possible.

THANK YOU

AND SAVE TIGERS Done by

AVINASH .A X -C