Welcome to Tiger Bay

I like to think of myself as a wildlife conservationist, and my very favorite animal is the Tiger. So this section of Cheddar Bay is called Tiger Bay.
Here are some facts that you may not know about Tigers ...
Tigers are an endangered species. Wild tigers in Asia (their natural habitat) may soon disappear.
Tigers keep their claws sharp for hunting by pulling in their retractable claws into a protective sheath.
Most tigers have more than 100 stripes, and no two tigers have identical stripes.
The very rare White tigers are not albino at all, but merely lack the gene for orange coloring.
Tigers, lions, leopards, and jaguars (genus Panthera) are the only four cats that can roar, but they can't purr.
In the wild, the estimated life expectancy of a tiger is 15 years.
A meal for a tiger may be as much as 50 to 70 pounds, but tigers may often go a week without food.
A group of tigers is called a streak.
Tiger mothers usually have 2 to 4 babies. One cub in almost every litter dies.
Tiger cubs are born blind.
The roar of a tiger can be heard over a mile away.
Tigers love to swim.
** Tiger paw prints are called pug marks.

ABOUT TIGERS:
Tigers were one classed into eight sub-specials.
1) Indian (Bengal)
2) Indo-Chinese
3) Sumutran
4) Armur (Siberian)
5) South China
6) Caspian (extinct since the 1950s)
7) Java (extinct, the last killed in 1937)
8) Bali (extinct)
INDOCHINESE TIGERS: Indochinese tigers are predominantly found in Thailand; however, their range also extends to southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and peninsular Malaysia. It is estimated between 1100-1200 Indochinese tigers remain in the wild.
SIBERIAN TIGERS: The large male Siberian or Amur tiger can grow up to 13 feet in length and weigh up to 700 lbs. Their long tails help them keep their balance through fast turning turns. Their tails are also used to communicate with other tigers.
The Siberian tiger is severely threatened. In 1991, one-third of the Siberian tigers were killed to meet the demand for their bones and other parts used in traditional Chinese medicine.
SUMATRAN TIGERS: The Sumatran tiger is the smallest tiger subspecies. Their population is estimated to be 400 to 500, confined to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Of these, 400 are found in five national parks and two game reserves. The other 100 live outside reserves. Their habitat is likely to be lost to expanding development in the near future.

THE TIGER - POSSIBLE EXTINCTION:
Recognized throughout the world for its ferocity and unmistakable beauty, the tiger faces an uncertain future. Due to increases in both natural and human threats, the wild tiger population suffered major losses during the 20th century and has become one of our most endangered species.
By the 1950s, tigers living around the Caspian Sea were extinct; between 1937 and 1972 the population of tigers that once inhabited the islands of Bali and Java disappeared; the South China tiger, with at best 20 to 30 individuals, is nearly extinct in the wild.
Tigers today are in serious trouble. One hundred years ago, there were 8 different kinds of tigers (subspecies) - there were over 100,000 wild tigers in the world. Today, there are only 5 tiger subspecies left and there are fewer than 5,000 wild tigers in the world.
India today has the largest number of tigers, numbering somewhere around 3,000. And though counting tigers is difficult, due to their dense forest habitation, it is estimated that only 5,100 individual tigers now remain in the entire world. From this total, there is estimated to be 20 South China, 415 Siberian, 400 Sumatran, 1180 Indo Chinese and 3000 Bengal tigers in existence.
These remaining tigers are threatened by many factors, including growing human populations, loss of habitat, illegal hunting of tigers and expanded trade in tiger parts used for traditional medicines.

PLEASE JOIN OUR LETTER-CAMPAIGN:
I love the way one student expressed it on the internet ... "The tigers are dying, and all we're doing is watching it." You might be asking yourself, "I love Tigers, but what can I do to help?"
We are asking anyone with an interest in the beautiful Tigers to please join our letter-campaign and make a plea for the safety and the future of these wonderful animals.
All you need to do is write three letters (or any one of the following choices) ...
INDIA:
Write to the Prime Minister of India, and ask him to help save the tigers in India. (Please keep your letters polite!). Here are some points that you might want to include in your letter:
In India tigers continue to be poached at an alarming rate. What is worse, tiger habitats are vanishing at a faster pace than ever before in history.
Tigers are dying because their jungles are being cut by people (to build roads, mine minerals, construct dams, etc.) who often do not even realize the damage they are doing. Unbelievably, three nuclear reactors are being planned right next to the Sundarbans, Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam and Kanha Tiger Reserves. One particular dam called the Human (pronounced Hooman) Project will badly hurt the Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra State. And another one called the Lower Subansari Dam is being built in one of India's finest rain forest areas in Arunachal, where elephants, tigers and clouded leopards live.
The Prime Minister had promised the children of India that he would protect tigers, but unfortunately he seems to have forgotten this promise and he needs to be reminded that the forests in which tigers live serve to soak up the monsoon rain and then through springs this water is made available to humans all year around. Saving tigers thus helps us grow our food and drink pure water.
Below is the address where to write, and the Prime Minister may be addressed as "Dear Mr. Prime Minister" ...
Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
Prime Minister of India,
South Block, New Delhi INDIA
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION:
You might mention these threats to the Siberian Tiger ...
Forest Destruction: Fifty years of overcutting the virgin Russian forests just north of North Korea have significantly reduced the tigers' habitat. Young tigers are often forced into villages in search of food where they are likely to be shot as a threat to humans or livestock.
Elimination of Prey: Overhunting by humans of wild boar, musk deer and spotted deer deprives the tigers of their main source of prey.
**Poaching: The combination of Russia's economic crisis and the high demand for tiger skins, bones and organs in China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan has resulted in a dramatic increase in poached tigers. Tiger skins can fetch between 5,000 and 10,000 US dollars. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) banned all trade in tigers in 1977. Since that time, however, wholesale trade and consumption of tiger parts has continued unchecked in China and Taiwan.
This is where you can write:
President Vladimir Putin
103132, Moscow, Staraya Polshad', 4, Russia
THE UNITED STATES:
Even though Tigers are not native to America, we need to write to President George W. Bush to ask him to use his influence with Taiwan, Hong Kong and China to stop the illegal trade in tiger parts which thrives in their countries.
Write to the President c/o the White House:
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20500
I love the way conservationist Marjorie Stoneman Douglas has put it:

Saving the tiger is a test.
If we pass, we get to keep the planet.

In the Chinese culture, there is a "Year of the Tiger," which falls every twelve months. Why not make it the Year of the Tiger EVERY year, always working toward protecting the most beautiful and regal of God's creatures.
A FEW TIGER LINKS:
Carnivore Preservation Trust
International Year of the Tiger
Save the Tiger Fund
Tigers in Crisis
You can sign up for a GREAT e-mail newsletter, Tiger Watch,
by clicking on the link to the right

(I created this extinction animation for this website;
if you want to use it on your site, please email me at cheddarbay@yahoo.com)

Below are some fun coloring pages for the kids. Just click to bring up the full-size of the picture, then run it off for the children to color!