Protect the King of the Jungle by Kat Mokry

Photo By Kat Mokry

Protect the King of the Jungle Before the Tiger is Lost Forever
Kathryn Mokry

Imagine the first time you went to the zoo and saw your first tiger. There are very few things so purely and shockingly amazing as this predator. Every step it takes is methodical, strategic and deathly silent. Such a beautiful strong animal moving so flawlessly and lightly is a wonder to observe, especially as a child. Now imagine telling your grandchildren of this beautiful creature that use to live on this earth. The striped beauty that you watched move and breathe, is now just a picture on a book, never to be seen again.

Photo by Kat Mokry

Description and Ecology
The tiger ( Panthera Tigris) is one of the top predators in jungles and the biggest cat in the world ( Alexander). At 4.6-9.2 feet long and 220-675 pounds(Defenders of Wildlife) this big cat is shockingly designed with bold stripes of black covering its thick fur. Tigers are most commonly a bold orange with black stripes but is being seen more frequently as white with black stripes in captivity by breeding for the lack of color. They have up to 4 inch long claws and bone crushing teeth for hunting and consuming their prey(Alexander). They are built to be ambush predators with the ability to run at 35 miles an hour for very short bursts of time(Alexander). The tiger is known for its beautiful fur, but is an apex predator due to its unmatched strength and cunning within its habitat.

Geographic and Population Change

Current range map by Defenders of Wildlife

This Apex predator, although rare to see now a days, can be found throughout different areas of Asia to this day. "Historic tiger range ran from Turkey through South and Southeast Asia to the far eastern shores of the continent. Today, they are only found in South and Southeast Asia, China and the Russian Far East"(Defenders of Wildlife). Tigers can live in habitats anywhere from forests to rocky ranges or savannas (Defenders of Wildlife). While Tigers use to occupy these numerous habitats by over 100, 000 individuals throughout Asia in the early 1900's, they now have dwindled to an upsetting less than 4,500 with 4 subspecies already extinct in the wild and lessening every day (Defenders of Wildlife). If things are not changed soon, we could lose these mesmerizing animals forever.

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Listing and Threats to Existence
The Tiger was added to the Endanger Species list on 06-02-1970(ECOS). Once the population had lowered enough that people began the take notice,
the tiger was quickly added to the list so that conservation efforts could begin. "The tiger's enemies are well-known: Loss of habitat exacerbated by exploding human populations, poverty—which induces poaching of prey animals—and looming over all, the dark threat of the brutal Chinese black market for tiger parts"(Alexander). The reasons for their initial deterioration remain as the threats that to this day dwindle the tiger population throughout the world with the addition of botched conservation attempts such as relocation and island reserves(Alexander). 

Photo by Kat Mokry

Recovery Plan
Although previous conservation efforts have had little to no success and may have even lowered the population by the thousands, there are still recovery plans in place to attempt to save this apex predator. One of the head efforts of the recovery plan is an increase in protected areas throughout china and other parts of the Southern portion of the continent(GTRP). Other efforts such as enhancing linkages between segmented habitats, Protection of individuals from poachers, trans-location, captive breeding and habitat management are also recovery plans that are being focused on throughout the continent to recover the King of the Jungle from its inevitable destruction(GTRP). As efforts increase we hope for the population numbers to follow suit, because a world without the tiger, the apex predator, the largest cat in the world, would not be a world worth living in. 
Works Cited
Alexander, Caroline. "Tigers." National Geographic Magazine. N.p., Dec. 2011. Web. 09 June 2015.

"Basic Facts About Tigers." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 23 Feb. 2012. Web. 09 June 2015.

GTRP. Global Tiger Recovery Program, 2010-2022. Washington, D.C.: Global Tiger Initiative Secretaria, World Bank, 2011. Global Tiger Initiative. Mar. 2011. Web. 8 June 2015.

 "Species Profile for Tiger (Panthera Tigris)." Species Profile for Tiger (Panthera Tigris). N.p., n.d. Web. 09 June 2015.