International Tiger Day is observed on 29 July and offers a platform that raises awareness on the conservation status of tigers. Through this event, several stakeholders, including people, groups, communities, and governments, can collaborate to protect the animal species and their habitats.
Within the past 150 years, the population of wild tigers has decreased by almost 95%. The World Wildlife Fund states that there are only approximately 3,900 tigers left in the wild nowadays. Indeed, many organizations are making every possible effort to stop the destruction of tigers’ habitats, poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and human-tiger conflicts. Climate change is one more leading global threat to tigers.
Here are some amazing facts about tigers:
Tigers are the largest cats in the wild. The weight of an adult tiger is approximately 363 kilograms, while its length can exceed three meters.
- These stripes are unique for each tiger. These stripes exist on their fur; inside their skin, too. Since all tigers have different types of stripes, this is how officials recognize them. The camera traps help count the population of the tigers.
- There exist five subspecies of tigers: the Bengal tiger, South China tiger, Indochinese tiger, Sumatran tiger, and Amur tiger, also known as the Siberian tiger. The Javan, Bali, and Caspian tiger subspecies are now extinct.
- A tiger’s roar can be heard from three kilometers away.
- Tigers use their ears as a means of communication. A female tiger wags the white spots on the back of her ears when signalling her cubs. Flattening her ears is a warning to her cubs to hide.
- A large deer can provide a tiger with enough food for a week.
- Tigers existed two million years ago, far before the emergence of human beings. Shockingly, the tiger population has dropped 97% in the past century because of human activities.
International Tiger Day is a grim reminder of the fact that tigers and their habitats need urgent preservation. We all can work together to make sure that future generations get to see these incredible animals.
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Source – NDTV
