LifeForce India - Tiger Conservation is People Conservation

Presentation

Education is a fundamental part of LifeForce activities.

Not only to help people understand critical problems and the part they can play in resolving them but also to understand how the problems arise and how they can be prevented. Via Health & Hygiene Workshops, presentations to Forest Department personnel, public presentations and participation in school activities, men, women and children of all ages are given information, techniques and practical help to assist them both directly and indirectly to resolve individual and environmental problems.

In addition to community-based benefits, conservation projects must, for long-term success, also include the active involvement and participation of local people.

An increasing number of Indian citizens are becoming involved with LifeForce projects. Some of these projects support related Indian conservation initiatives and also aim to increase local involvement of towns people and tribal people living in the forest.

Although environmental education is relevant to people of all ages and in all places, here are some questions, about tigers in particular, asked of LifeForce by children in schools in England:

Do tigers climb trees ?

Even though wild tigers like to live in forests where they can hide among the tall grasses and trees, they don’t climb trees. They are very heavy, weighing approximately 350-500 pounds (770 - over 1000 kg) and this weight makes it unsafe for them to climb regularly or to great heights. Occasionally a tiger might rest in the low, strong branches of a stout tree, but this is rare.

How long do tigers live ?

Life in the wild is tough for a tiger. Competition for territory is fierce and food is difficult to catch (approx. 9 out of 10 hunts fail). A wild tiger will probably live 12-15 years. In captivity life is easier and tigers can reach an age of 20 years.

Do tigers live and hunt in packs or small groups?

Unlike lions, tigers do not live in packs or groups. They are also solitary hunters. They will occasionally socialize and once in a while a family group might share a kill. However, apart from getting together to mate, tigers usually live alone and each tiger needs its own space or territory to hunt in.

How fast can a tiger run ?

Tigers creep up on their prey (usually deer, antelope, oxen or pig) by hiding in grass or amongst trees or bushes to get as close as possible without being seen. This is called stalking. When they are close enough they will rush in for the kill and can reach a top speed of about 30-40 miles per hour (48-64 kilometres per hour). But a tiger cannot run fast for very long.

How big can a tiger be ?

There are five races of tigers: Indian, Siberian, South China, Indo-Chinese and Sumatran. Three races (Caspian, Javan, Balinese) became extinct during the twentieth century. Siberian tigers tend to be the biggest and a Siberian male tiger can grow up to, in the region of 11 feet long (c.3 metres).

Do tigers sleep as much as lions ?

Like all the big cats (and pet cats!), tigers do spend much of their day lying around resting or dozing. They like to lie in dense undergrowth and caves or, if it is a very hot day, they will wallow around in shaded pools or streams. In areas undisturbed by Man, tigers will hunt during the day but in the hottest days of summer, it is as darkness and temperatures fall that tigers will become more active and spend most of the night maintaining their territories or hunting for food.

Why are tigers stripy?

It is thought that a tiger’s stripes give it camouflage and help it to hide in the forests. The up-and-down stripes blend in well with the forest’s trees and long grasses making it very difficult to spot a tiger, especially when it is standing still.

Why are tigers endangered ?

Even though tigers are so big and powerful, they are in great danger. There could be fewer than 4000 tigers left in the wild, which means that they could soon be extinct (gone for ever). The main reasons for this are:

The tiger’s habitat (where it likes to live) is being lost. Across Asia (the continent where all tigers live) forests are disturbed or damaged to make money (from timber, other plants or to find resources underground e.g. coal, uranium) or cut down to make space for farms, roads and industry. This means the tigers don’t have enough food or space to live. Because of this they can sometimes attack domestic animals, or even people. Villagers in these areas lose property or get scared by the tigers and kill them.

Poaching is a big problem for tigers. For many years rich people hunted tigers for fun. This is now illegal but poachers still hunt tigers because they can sell a tiger’s body parts to be used in Traditional Chinese Medicines. This means a dead tiger can be worth a lot of money as it passes from poacher to shop-keeper.