Tigers

Siberian tiger is dangerously close to Extinction

The tiger skirts the edges of our imagination. It is a symbol of strength power and beauty, yet despite its fierce reputation. The Siberian tiger is dangerously close to extinction less than four hundreds of these great cats remain in the wild. Now wildlife biologists are using science to save the wildest creature on earth.

Siberian Tigers

An international team of Russian and American scientists seeks to better understand the tiger story, either straight towards the hill or a little bit aligned. Their efforts maybe the Tigers last the best chance at survival. If the tiger can be saved it would mean protection for all that exists in the shadow of the title.

Winters in far eastern Russia a long and harsh frigid air from the heart of the continent rips the land in snow and ice by late spring tropical air of the Sea of Japan warms. The last we see winters give way to golden summers and life flourishes a vast unbroken forest known as the Russian tiger. The largest intact forest in the world and the last stronghold for wild Siberian tigers weighing up to 800 pounds.

Siberian tiger largest cat

The Siberian tiger is the largest cat in the world nearly twice the size of an adult lion born of snow and ice the Siberian tiger can sprint through the forest at 50 miles an hour. It has thrived in this remote wilderness for thousands of years surviving on instinct and finely honed behave the Siberian tiger once numbered in the thousands ranging from Eastern Russia to South Korea.

But poaching and habitat destruction are taking their toll today less than 400 Siberian tigers exist in the wild and these are found almost exclusively along with a narrow band of mountains in coastal Siberia. The Sakhalin biosphere reserve lies at the heart tiger country it is the largest Wildlife Sanctuary in the Russian Far East encompassing more than a thousand square miles of forested mountains, clear rivers and unbroken coastline at the edge of a forest glade roe deer graze.

They remain alert knowing that out there moving silently through the forest a cat is on the prowl. It is a tigress seeking out her prey, she will not make a kill today but must soon as she has another mouth to feed this six-month-old tiger cub, is named Larisa her mother Katya. They are part of an in-depth study into the secretive lives of Siberian tigers.

Linda curly and John Goodrich are a husband-and-wife research team coordinating the efforts of the Siberian tiger project a joint Russian and American study conducted by the Honaker wildlife Institute between Luther here based at the University of Idaho. The Hornick our Institute studies threatened and endangered species around the world for John and Linda studying Tigers in Russia’s remote wilderness is the opportunity of a lifetime it’s baffling.

There is actually a mammal that exists that is orange with black stripes, so, first of all, they’re beautiful and we don’t get to see them very often but when we do get a good song it makes our job everything worth you know just everything works well, I think we have a wonderful opportunity to protect Tigers.

To conserve Tigers and it’s really exciting to be a part of that and hopefully contribute to that I love the woods and I love the wilderness and the wilder it is the better it is and one of my favorite places in the whole world is hunting me beach, where you’re more likely to see a tiger track on the beach than a human footprint.

When I get out in the forest and I have my backpack on. I’m out for a week your time I’m doing what I love into me it’s just as much like vacation like work the thing that I love about field. Biology is learning how other species besides you interact with each other, how they live and just how they make a living and I like seeing it firsthand.

I like being in the field John and Linda rarely see the animals, they study tires are secretive animals and you just can’t you can’t just sit around and watch so we have to use radio telemetry in order to answer some of these questions and these questions are critical tot. So very entire conservation John and Linda are using radio telemetry to unlock the Siberian tigers.

Elusive nature scientists are now able to determine a tiger’s home range size, eating habits and social structure little by little. A picture of a tiger society is emerging in order to use radio telemetry, the scientists must first get a collar on a tiger to capture a new tiger. The scientists use thick cabled snares, they place the snares along trails frequently used by adult Tigers.

The thick cables are ideal allowing the scientists to capture a tiger without injuring it. Their loop lays over the spring-like that tiger walks along he’s going to step on this trigger cut and then the cable is attached to the tree and everything will be covered up. Several snares have been sent, they will be checked daily now it’s a waiting game, weeks can go by without a capture joining the team is Russian biologist eager Nikolaevich eager probably knows more about Siberian tigers than anyone.

He’s been studying the great cat for more than 30 years, luck is on their side only days after the snares are set the tiger has captured our biggest concern is to safety the animal. Somehow been hurt unless there if something happened to it is very agitated. We’ve talked about 50 yards away from her loaded the darts into the gun and then approached slowly and quietly the first approach is the most dangerous.

Because the scientists have no way of telling how securely the tiger is held in the snare. Yes, dangerous, she was probably more agitated than the excited, I’ve seen okay girl easy let’s go capture joy. Okay, that’s a Jack you know so I got that gardener and I backed off to let that dart take effect because I knew even if it wasn’t enough. It would calm her down and indeed it did the second time, we win and she was much less mobile and much easier to work with any capture whether the tiger is agitated or not.

We try to avoid eye contact, try not to approach too closely staying a little bit of a cover, if we can and in general try not to present ourselves in a threatening or dominant, the tiger was unharmed during the capture coca the team must work quickly before the drugs wear off.

Tracking of the Siberian Tigers as Detective Work

Tigers have no blink response when sedated, so their eyes must be artificially lubricated and covered one person starts to put fit the radio color on the animal. Because I’m going to get a radio color on as quickly as possible, the new radio colored tiger will provide the scientists, with crucial information on Tiger behavior what’s your losers between your sequences zero three four.

Ear tags are also attached to identify the tiger. In case the radio collar falls off we’re really interested in body measurements of all kinds gives us a lot of information about body condition about growth rates and animals, and differences between male and female body parameters.

Siberian Tiger Tracking

Well, we take pad measurements particularly the pad width because we also measure tracks using track measurements that can help us to identify individuals. Venus is elusive tiger paws are thickly padded allowing it to move quickly over snow and ice. Their claws are retractable keeping them sharp for gripping prey. If we go ahead moving already, she’s moving but she’s starting to twitch and stuff already stuff.

The tiger is showing signs that the drugs are wearing off the decision is made to abandon collecting more information and move out as quickly as possible. We have radios colors on nine resident tigers and that represents just a small portion of the entire population of Siberian tigers, but those 90 animals and Radio Cars on will tell us so much about the population that we filled it disturbing. Those nine animals will be worth in one room to protect the population as a whole.

Tigers are not alone in this wilderness, the village of 10a lies at the edge of the reserve the people here have lived with tiger animals for generations. Precautions are taken cattle are heard at home in the evening and dogs stand guard outside homes. It is not unheard of for a wounded or sick tiger to wander into town looking for an easy meal.

However Siberian tigers prefer to stay deep in the forest, where they blend seamlessly into the landscape. All life in the Russian Far East adheres to nature’s own timetable what may start out as a few innocent flakes can turn serious in a matter of the Siberian tiger was un mistakeably, the top predator of the Russian Far East.

Siberian tiger habitat

For centuries, it thrived here in secure isolation. Those days are gone the modern world has cut its way through these ancient forests logging is shrinking. The Siberian tigers habitat the roads that logging creates leaves the tigers vulnerable to speeding cars and poachers.

Katya and Lorisha face this threat every day their home range is bisected by the area’s busiest road the pair must frequently cross this road. While hunting John and Linda are concerned about Katya. They say she is often too bold too close to the road other tigers are warier 11-centimeter hunt 15.

Okay so he was walking on the road down there and probably a car came, he ran up the bank came around here and then ducked down behind this tree. So you can see where his front feet were here and then his hind leg was kind of out to the side right there. His tail stretches around right back here probably a car came. He hopped up here and ducked down and hid watching the car, go by and then he went back down and walked up the road.

It is difficult for a tiger to learn the dangers of roads its first encounter with a car or a poacher is often it’s last this tiger was killed close to the road the poachers skinned the cap but left its bones behind. Perhaps unaware of their value the skeleton alone is worth more than a year’s wages for a local family a tempting proposition for a people in such dire economic need.

Tiger bones in medicine

Tiger bones are highly valued on the Asian medicine market for their ancient curative powers. This belief has pushed the Siberian tiger to the brink of extinction to combat the illegal trade in wildlife. Anti-poaching patrols have been launched across the region checkpoints are set up to look for poachers transporting illegal wildlife.

Anatolia stuffier director of the secret a lien by us fear reserved accompanies his men on patrol privilege transport at the setting of a roadblock and checking vehicles is a good measure of potion prevention. If you discover a poacher the confiscates his praying, he’s gone the patrol is also effective because we widely announce our intention to check certain roads.

A certain day so many poachers who have come here, you know of course poachers still haunt of the reserve. But they are not as numerous as they want, where till this is not a typical job. The men work 24 hours, share it is difficult and in the 10th war, the patrol’s dedication is paying off poaching on the reserve is down by 40 percent. But they must be ever vigilant as long as a market for Tiger bones exists poaching will remain a serious threat.

John Linda and field assistants Cola ribbon are traveling to Katya’s home range. Once they find her tracks, they will spend days covering large areas following Katya’s movements for the next several days. This cabin will serve as base camp the team will head out early tomorrow morning to look for Katya Strax.

We know from radio telemetry where a tiger has been but then when the tiger leaves we have to go in there and try and figure out what the Siberian tiger did. We do that by following their tracks or looking for any other sign that they have left behind is a field biologist and studying tigers, in particular, is a lot like doing detective work some blood definitely an elk or possibly as he could be right.

Life of Tiger and Interesting Facts about Tigers

Siberian tigers primarily feed on wild boar, deer, and elk. Tigers will often drag whatever they kill a short dip and often it’s into a sort of denser cover. One of the interesting things we’re trying to look at right now is, how much a tiger eats when it has not been disturbed by humans and how much they eat when it has been disturbed by humans, youth-only eaten about sixty percent of this elk.

Tiger animal

Usually, Tigers eat everything, you’ll come into a kill and all you’ll find in the lower legs for lower legs and the remains of the head which is often completely chewed up. There are just a jaw and some broken bones lying there. He didn’t finish this one because he killed it very close to the road and it’s laying here maybe 150 meters from the road.

So he got spooked by all the activity on the road and left a lot of meat behind. They rely on stealth to capture their prey their hunting technique is a stock a short rush and they jump on the animal once they get on an animal. They almost always kill it to survive.

Tigers must consume 12 to 15 pounds of meat a day.

They hunt from dusk till dawn keen eyesight Lodge kangaroos sharp claws and a massive battering ram-like body enables the tiger, to bring down prey much larger than itself Katia easily takes down 500 pounds wild boar that’s near twice her own weight. Much of the killing is done with her teeth conceded both her lower canines are broken up at the gums Katya’s teeth.

A characteristic of a much older tiger than said by examining tooth photos scientists are able to judge the approximate age of a tiger or the incisors good phone I’m out tracking a tiger I’m just I’m constantly visualizing what the tiger is doing sometimes to the point where it even kind of increases my heartbeat. I start getting really excited about it and of course, added to that is always the chance that there’s going to be a tiger.

Just around the corner and that there’s going to be some kind of encounter just makes it incredibly exciting work the scientists have found fresh tiger tracks. Well within Katya’s territory a little over nine two years so this is gotta be cut you measuring the print confirms. These are cockiest tracks first roads were real floor another much smaller set of tracks indicates. Katya is traveling with her six-month-old daughter Larissa’s first Tiger hair sees if there’s any other color.

John and Linda have tracked Katya for the past three years she has become their favorite. It’s not a small animal if it’s marked like that new trick. The scientists were even lucky enough to catch a rare glimpse of Katya and Larissa at play. It was incredible because the two of them played together and the Cobb walk initiated the play was the thing that really surprised. But kaki also would initiate the play and it was amazing for us to see that, the mother would be just as playful as a couple of the interactions between Katya and Lorisha are important.

Lifespan of tiger

Tiger’s life: 16 – 18 years

Understanding how mothers raise their young, the time is through with her mother’s Italian group also their social skills to believe for the rest of us because the rest of what they spend fulsome solitary, not in the company and little tigers Laurita is old enough to share kills with her mother but still too young, to hunt. She will stay with her mother for at least another year until she can survive on her own.

Before Katya was ready to breathe she first established a home range or territory and spent time getting to know her mate males will get together with females such as the perfect is agreed. In some time will Sarah kill and they’re probably so important in those relationships in a male and a female knowing each other.

They will breed with each other Katya regularly patrols more than 270 square miles encompassing frozen lakes and weathered coastline the female will orient her territory – based on where the food resources are, where the Sudheer in the whore and elk are a male will then overlay its territory on one or more female Siberian.

Interesting facts about tiger

The gestation period of a tiger: Roundabout 93 days – 112 days
Speed of Adult tigers: 49 – 65 km/h
The scientific name of a tiger: Panthera tigris
Diet of tigers: They are Carnivore
Mass of Adult Male tiger: 90 – 310 (kilograms)
Mass of Female Adult: 65 – 170 (kilograms)
Tiger’s Length Male Adult: 2.5 – 3.9 m
Female tiger Length Adult: 2 – 2.8 m

Territory of tiger, Reproduction and Tigers Urinate

A single male’s territory can encompass more than 600 square miles. It’s phenomenal that tigers can still patrol their entire home range and keep other individuals out of their territory. The fact that they’re territorial at all and can maintain exclusive home ranges is pretty amazing.

Tiger Territory

Tigers will violate and challenge territories and sometimes that can result in a fight and really aggressive encounters. Katia spots an intruder, it is an unfamiliar tiger. The encounter is brief and largely a display of dominance. No one is injured, Katia is lucky this time. These encounters can be fatal.

The Risha unaware of the danger is just as playful as ever happy to have her mother back communication among tigers. It is another area of great interest. Solitary animals are not communicating with each other but when they do communicate, it’s really important the main form of communication, among tigers, is through scent marking.

Tigers urinate

They go around and they urinate on trees and sometimes, they do this very frequently. This is part of their daily activity. This is a traditional tiger, mark tree and put our tiger, Alexei. He’s walked down the road here came up to the tree turned around and sprayed the tree with urine.

This dark spot very clear where he’s marked and then by the track that looks like he also came up and probably scratched a little bit like this and kind of hugged the tree and rubbed to the site of his faith against it. Katia uses scent marks to advertise her presence and to mark the boundaries of her territory through her scent mark.

Tiger Reproduction

Another tiger can determine Katya’s age sex and identity. A male tiger can even tell if she’s ready to breed this large male is responding to a sent Katia. Recently left known as flaming behavior, it is normally displayed at sites where other tigers have sprayed their scent. This contortion allows the smell to reach a scent organ at the back of the tiger’s mouth.

Sexual Maturity of tigers reaches usually for Females around 3-4 years of age and tiger males usually mature at the age of 4-5.

Clawing trees maybe just a form of exercise for Coffea but sweat glands in our paws leave behind a scent even affectionate displays between Katya and Lorisha are partly scent oriented rubbing transfers and mixes body stems between familiar cats. Reinforcing and maintaining social laws Katya and Lorisha are providing valuable insight into tiger society.

It is time to move on but John and Linda will return to Katya’s home and continue searching for answers to the tiger’s survival. Today the scientists will attempt a helicopter capture of a tiger named Natasha the batteries on her radio collar need to be replaced if they fail in their efforts. A valuable study, an animal will be forever lost biologist Bart joins the team.

In this crucial effort before the capture before we take off. I’m just incredibly tense and nervous and I think everybody is you. Once we get into the air the feeling is still very tense but we all become so focused on what we’re doing that in general. I lose live my fear and a lot of my apprehension first thing we do is, we course. We fly to that air animal’s home range and we’re searching for the signal to get the signal. We want to hone in on that animal as quickly as possible.

Best place to see tigers

So everybody on the helicopter really cooperating just trying to get the first visual on the animal. It’s very important that the first person that sees the tiger communicates that to someone, who can communicate it to the pilot because the pilots are the ones that have to see the tiger right away. Because they would once they’re going to call it there is definitely danger involved because you’re working at such close quarters to the tops of trees from the air.

There’s a very small target and especially from the air because you’re looking down on their back so that and with an animal moving in the trees. There’s usually not a big period of time that you have that you can take a shot at you, be a little narrow time frame that you can take a shot an animal. That’s usually when they’re stopped a dark doesn’t fly like a bullet a dart is affected by gravity. It’s also affected by prop wash and it slides more like an arrow.

This character was a little more difficult than some other captures because Natasha was in the river bottom where the trees are really tall. So we couldn’t get it down as close to her as we would have liked to. They’re not really afraid of this helicopter this monster it’s a big helicopter there’s a monster in the sky that’s falling them. They’re not afraid of it they’re just mad at it and they would be perfectly willing to just try and pull that thing out of the sky.

Only they could greet it so, you get a dart in you wait a little bit and see what kind of effect it has because it takes five to ten minutes for ketamine to have an effect on the animal. Our biggest concern is that the animal is skinned as soon as it looks like it’s down. We got to get on the ground as quickly as possible at that point when the Amazon the ground every minute.

You can’t get to the animal as quickly as you want to make sure their breathing is stabilized and also when you are approaching an animal. They’re not held by a snare so there’s the possibility that the animal will come for you. We all share and making sure that we’re monitoring respiration all the time. You can get visual on pulse 1.2 per head back a little bit except for that one can our teeth are pretty good.

Tiger Genetic Analysis & Siberian Tigers Relationship

Although the blood and tissue samples of tigers are really important because we use them to do genetic analysis.

Tiger Genetic Analysis

The information we have on genetic analysis to compare how different Siberian tigers are from other subspecies. We’ve got to get that radio color change so we want to make sure that the capture is successful but we’re always worried about the animal’s safety, that’s number one plenty of real-time which the third one. Yeah, we’ve been going on the fourth.

Tigers at the same time pull the lip over here, we like to leave a tiger that’s showing some signs of getting up. We’ll head up and once they start to show a little bit ahead movement it’s still going to be usually another 10 or 15 minutes. Before they can really get up and walk away or something at least that long.

It’s really very important to get tigers radio color because tiger animals are very secretive species. You can not go out there and sit down near by them or watch these big cats. The information that we are getting is really important for putting together a conservation plan. It actually could save the species, we kill them out.

When we started our research program here in 1992 our goal was not simply to study tigers to have a better understanding of them from a scientific perspective. It was to develop the best database possible for the implementation of a conservation plan for the Siberian tigers.

Siberian tiger project Dale Miguel briefs John and Linda on the latest updates to the conservation plan acted and one system of protected areas that would provide. A continuous expansive tiger habitat from the north northern limits of the range to the very southern limits. It is a bold plan linking national parks and reserves together to form a corridor, that provides absolute security for the tiger and its prey.

Siberian tigers require an enormous amount of space to set aside land for the entire population would be impossible. Tigers and people must share the land tiger conservation are not just setting aside land but it’s actually finding ways for people to live in harmony or cozy coexistence with these tigers. It means the use of the resources the natural resources in a way that does not damage them just go.

Tiger conservation

Dail works with community members to implement tiger conservation on the local level. The survival of tigers and conservation, in general, is very closely linked to the well-being of people. If people feel they a sense of well-being that their economic needs are being met then I can return to the forest resources and extract them.

In such an intensive fashion as when they feel they’re being stressed conservation will succeed only if the people of the region see the tiger as a creature worth saving his late off Russian Far East time of change. One year has come and gone since the scientists first saw Katya and Lorissa in the wild.

Larissa is now an adult tigress, she has stayed close to home taking over part of catchiest territory like her mother Larissa has marked the boundaries of her range. She has even found a mate a radio-collared tiger named Jenny tigers who can live in jungles.

Tigers live in swamplands.

Tiger relationship with Animals

Tigers prey needs to survive we have a good unscented tiger ecology, which means understanding the relationship between tigers and the animals that also occur in the forest. There the relationship between deer, elk, a wild boar and bears, understanding that the whole complex is the first step to understanding what tigers need to survive.

Biologists with the Hornik or Wildlife Institute hope to paint a complete picture of Tiger ecology the long-term survival of wild. Siberian tigers are dependent on the success of countless plants and animals.

Reference: Wikipedia, Britannica