Stalking, treading along the tall grass and bushes like a silent wraith looking for its next prey. The sun shining off its golden coat and its transverse strips, perfectly balanced and blended with the forest. Slender and agile. The tiger might not be the “King of the Jungle” but it certainly is its Apex Predator.
Having a diverse variety of habitats, the tiger can be found roaming the rainforests, savannas, grasslands, and even some mangroves. It stalks its prey, usually a deer, along with the tall grasses and bushes and lunges at the first sign of an opening. Reaching a top speed of 65 kilometers an hour, when it chases down the prey. It knows where to aim. The neck. Before long, the mighty jaws of the tiger would have sunk deep in its victims’ neck. Even if the deer manages to free itself from the hunter, it would bleed to death before long. And the tiger will thus feast.
Although the tiger might be on top of the food chain, it doesn’t go unchallenged. Out of the 9 subspecies, 3 have already gone extinct. Only around 3,900 individual tigers are left in the wild and it is listed as ‘Endangered’ in the IUCN Red Data Book. The force that drives this species closer to extinction is none other than us, the humans. Habitat loss and poaching of tigers for illegal trade are the main threats we, humans, impose. The skins of these majestic beasts are flayed and used as home décor or as a status symbol for the rich and the powerful. Makes you wonder who the real beasts are.
Humans tend to see tigers as these ruthless killing machines that hunt and kill everything in their sight. This is how we are conditioned by popular media. The apex predator, who is at the top of the food chain, keeps the population of the wild in check and thereby maintains the balance between herbivores and carnivores. Thus, the presence of the tiger is an indicator of the wellbeing of the ecosystem and its extinction would lead to its downfall. Luckily, animal conservative groups such as the WCS and the WWF have made efforts to protect the tigers and their habitats by reducing human-tiger conflicts and taking action against poachers.
The tiger, with its fury and its instinct to hunt and kill, is no doubt a beast to be reckoned with. But we have failed to see the beauty within the beast. This magnificent creature is mother nature’s silent guardian. It maintains the delicate balance of the ecosystem with an iron fist. It holds the weight of entire ecosystems on its massive shoulders. It truly makes you wonder, is it beauty or a beast.
By Rtr. Sanjula Rupasinghe
Image Credits:
- Cover image – https://wallpaperaccess.com/full/1547624.jpg
- https://wildlifeday.org/sites/default/files/fact_sheets/tiger/fact-sheet-tiger-
- https://wildlifeday.org/sites/default/files/fact_sheets/tiger/fact-sheet-tiger-2.jpg
References:
- https://wildlifeday.org/content/factsheets/tiger
- https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/where-do-tigers-live-and-other-tiger-facts
- https://www.savewildtigers.org/the-facts/threats-tigers
- https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/priority_species/bengal_tiger/why_save_the_tigers/
Niceee😍🔥
Earlier I thought less about tigers but after reading this article I’m enlightened about this topic. Thanks Sanjula
Woww sanjula😍never thought tigers were this interesting before,wonderful writing style,loved it❤.
A great read! 💯