COOL CATS!
This is a page devoted to our feline friends, specifically the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) . They are in need of our help before they become extinct.
There is a tiger killed every 18 hours in India.
General Information:
Size:
Head to Tail Length- 9-13'
Shoulder Height- 3'
Weight- Males: maximum 500 lbs.; Females 220-370 lbs.
*The Siberian tigers are the world's largest cat.
Characteristics:
Adaptations/Coloration- 2 sides striping unalike
Claws- long; retractable; don't hinder running
Feet- heavily haired (aids silent stalking)
Forefeet- 5 digits; Hindfeet- 4 digits
Fur- relatively long & thick
Hair- longer on a male's cheeks
Vocalization- roars
Behavior:
Feeding- drags kill to hiding place; rests intermittently until carcass is devoured; finishes with great amount water
Hunting- nothing they can't overpower; depends on sight & hearing more than smell; stalks slow & silent until close enough for final spring; male solitary (except when courting); mom stays with young
Swims- contrary to the popular belief that cats hate water, the Siberian tiger swims well and loves the water
Territory- large; 30 sq. mi.
Reproduction/life span:
Life span- captivity maximum 15 yrs
Sexual Maturity- 3-4 yrs
Breeding- late Jan-Apr
Birth Interval- 2-4 yrs
Gestation- 92-113 days
Cubs- 2-4 in a litter; 3-4 lbs. each; will kill independently 7 mos.
Diet:
Tigers are a carnivore-
Wild- boar, deer, elk, fish, hare, & livestock
Zoo- Carnivore Diet, bones, enrichment treats, & vitamins
Habitat/range:
Rocky mountain woodlands; SE Russia, N. Korea, Manchuria (cold forested areas), & Siberia; 3 reserves in Russia
Status:
US Endangered
About these wonderful tigers and their plight:
I looked around and found this report from the Tiger Information Center, which I think fully and better describes their precarious situation than I could say with my own words:
Wild Tigers: Russia
In this century, the Siberian tiger (sometimes called the Amur, Manchurian, or Northeast China tiger), has survived four wars, two revolutions, and now an onslaught on its forests. Its IUCN status is considered Critical, its numbers in the wild fluctuating from a low of 24 tigers in the 1940s to IUCN estimates of about 150 to 200 in 1994. Recent conservation efforts have paid off, and as of 1997 there were estimated to be between 437-506 wild Siberian tigers. There are three protected areas for tigers in Russia-the Sikhote-Alin (3,470 km2), Lazovsky (1,165 km2), and Kedrovaya Pad (178 km2) Reserves-inland from the Sea of Japan in the Russian Far East.
Wild Tigers: China
Sightings of Siberian tigers in Changbaishan, near the Chinese border with North Korea, were reported in Chinese newspapers in 1990, and some are still found along the Russian border. The Cat Specialist Group suggests that there are probably fewer than 50 Siberian tigers in China. Regardless of their authenticity, it is the tigers in Russia that will define the future of the subspecies. The other sites are too small to harbor tiger populations large enough for long-term viability.
The survival of wild Siberian tigers will be linked to securing and enlarging their current habitat and protecting them from poachers. The Law of the Russian Federation on Environmental Protection and Management of 1992 gave the Siberian tiger legal protection. Despite this, poaching has received considerable attention in the press, but the reports are rife with rumors. Authorities admit that the killing of tigers is a new enterprise, in part arising from on an unstable and worsening economic situation for most people, open borders to China and Korea, and a demand for tiger body parts for traditional Chinese medicine. Many agencies and organizations are promoting efforts to assist Russia in stopping the poaching on tigers and their prey, the marketing of their skins and bones, and the loss of available habitat.
Zoo Tigers
The captive program for Siberian tigers is the largest and longest managed program for any of the subspecies. The Siberian tiger served as one of the models for the creation of scientifically managed programs for species in captivity in zoos and aquariums worldwide. According to the 1994 International Tiger Studbook there are about 490 Siberian tigers managed in zoos: 226 in Europe, 151 in North America, 93 in Japan, and about 20 more scattered among Asian zoos. This captive population is descended from 83 wild-caught founders. For the most part, the Siberian tiger is considered secure in captivity, with a large, genetically diverse and stable population.
Copied by permission from the Tiger Information Center.
Some great and informative Siberian tiger pages:
Siberian Tiger Page
Visit this page and become a tiger sponsor!
The Defenders of the Wildlife Tiger Page
MEET MY "TIGER"
Fancy, my cat, seriously thinks she is a tiger. She is a small black/white domestic short-hair. We have been together for seven years now. I found her -or she found me- on my high school graduation day. She was a stray kitten but seemed to trust people and came right to my mother when she called for her.
Some of Fancy's Adventures:
- She likes to chase the white-tail deer in our field! They seem to have a game and love to play it...She chases them around and then they chase her before she has had enough and comes to hide behind me!
- She also likes to chase the wild turkeys in our fields. But she knows not to mess with them too often...especially when they have babies nearby.
- Miss Fancy hates the winter and snow! She will climb onto the back of my snowshoes for a ride, as to not get her feet cold and wet.
*To find out more about cats and cat breeds, visit the Cat Fancier's Association page.
A heartfelt message from Fancy:
I hope you enjoyed this visit with our cool cats! Please, come again soon.
Copyrighted 1998 by Stacy and her sweet cat, Fancy.
Remember the Ark!! Let's make sure there will be enough animals to go two-by-two in the next one!
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