The majestic prey versus the malevolent predator

Talha Farooq 210455194 Ellen Sweeney Tutorial # 4 Research Essay November 4, 2009 ENVS 1000 6.00 Earth in Our Hands: Introduction to Environmental Studies York University

The majestic tiger is an animal that appears in a couple of historical legends. Whether it is the Chinese legends or the Indian legends, the tiger is recognized with tremendous importance. Even with its recognized beauty, presently this marvelous creature is at the grim of extinction. Only a few thousand tigers remain in the world today. Chinese legends have placed this magnificent creature in their zodiac. Legends has it that the lion was placed in the zodiac previously because it is the king of the jungle. However, after proving to be the strongest of the animals and saving many human lives, the tiger was replaced by the lion in the zodiac. In the Indian legend, the tiger is a powerful creature that is the kept by the gods as a companion. In the earlier times, tigers were tamed and kept as pets by royalty for protection and as a display of power to the people (DSilva, 6). Some were even hunted for sport by the royalty. The significance of the hunt was not for the means of poaching but rather as means of leisure. Although this was not viewed cruel back then, it did not have a significant impact on the population of the tiger because the hunting was done on a rather small scale. In todays world, the tiger remains that authoritative, majestic creature that is often associated with power, beauty and lust. With a set of 30 sharp teeth and over 600 muscles (Hanel, 12), the tiger is the largest and strongest out of all the wild cats. The tiger is from the family scientifically known as Panthea tigris (Hanel, 11). The Siberian tiger, which is the largest specie of tigers, can grow as long as 11feet and can weigh as much as 660 pounds or 300 kilograms (Hanel, 15). Although the population was quite large in the beginning, it is now at the brink of extinction. The once 100 000 tigers have now been drastically reduced to less than 10 000 (DSilva, 2). Out of these 10 000, the white tiger is the breed of which only a few hundred remain. They are hunted because almost all of their parts are rumored to be useful to humans, although no scientific evidence is present to support such rumours. Also, a recent issue is the loss of natural habitat for the tigers; Forests are

excessively being cut down by humans, and these forests are essential for their survival. Although individuals may not realize the extent of the possible extinction of tigers, there is no doubt that if cruel activities such as poaching and deforestation continue, the tiger population will soon diminish and ultimately become extinct.

Hunting of endangered species due to their high demand has become a world wide phenomenon that poses a threat to many animals in the world. Actions to save endangered species are being taken by the United Nations through a program called CITIES. This program offers varying protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants... and bans international commercial trade in species threatened with extinction, such as cheetahs, tigers (The UN Works, 9). Although this raised some awareness, illegal poaching still continued and continues to this day. Tigers especially are hunted for many reasons. These reasons range from their potentially useful body parts, to farmers who fear for their lives and livestock, to the pure pleasure of hunting. Poaching is the biggest reason for hunting the tiger. Almost all the parts a tiger are used, even though some of the uses seem absurd. Its fur is used to make clothing, rugs and mats. A tigers organs are rumored to have cures for various illnesses and diseases (DSilva, 7). Likewise, a tigers claw is worn as a talisman and is believed to posses supernatural powers (DSilva, 6). Although these myths seem true, no scientific evidence is present to support such rumours. Poaching has gone to such extent that even the tigers private part is used in soaps and is considered a plausible aphrodisiac. An individual living in a knowledge based society would certainly take a second look at this issue and would soon realize that harming a creatures life in

order to fulfill personal pleasure is irrational. Moreover, since there is no concrete proof as to whether these parts are actually useful for the purposes they are rumored, it seems completely illogical to poach an animal that is already in critical numbers. Farmers in Asian countries sometimes hunt tigers because they pose a threat to their life and their livestock. They perceive them as extremely dangerous and more importantly take the wrong steps to tackle this threat. Farmers need to realize that generally these tigers migrate to their farms due to the fact that their natural habitat has been destroyed. If they place themselves in the place of the tigers they would react the same way if they were faced with a situation that the tigers are placed in. This was the case in the capturing and hunting of the Sumatran tiger which has been placed in the critically endangered category by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2007. (RedOrbit, 9). Therefore, the first step that needs to be taken in order to save the tiger population is to entirely preventing poaching. After the poaching issue has been tackled, the next step is the prevention of deforestation.

As we have seen, destruction of the environment has become extremely prevalent in the past centuries. Humans are constantly harming the environment in one way or another. The need for land has become extremely important to man and this is a common phenomenon that is seen since the earliest times. We have fought to take control over territory and claim it ours. This was done through any means possible and the consequences that rose from such actions were not taken into account. One of these consequences was the affect on wildlife that occupied the land. They were forced out of their natural habitat and compelled to survive to in a new environment which caused obvious problems for them.

This is the case with tigers. It is bad enough that people poach this magnificent mammal, but now we practice another method to eliminating this astonishing animal. It is seen that today that profit hungry corporations are continuously cutting down forests which is the home of many wild animals including the tigers. This is the case with a mega corporation known as Asian Pulp and paper. They are criticized for their relentless push into the forest while allegedly ignoring the needs of a critically-endangered species (Hance, 5). Habitat loss has caused a striking blow to the population of tigers. Recently it was analyzed that only 60 to 70 squared kilometers of a tigers perfectly suited habitat is left undisturbed. This habitat is truly appropriate for tigers because it is high in prey abundance, and consists of a perfect environment for the tiger (Thapar, 391). A tigers natural habitat is essential for its survival. Their suited environment consists of thick grass, tall trees and ponds or lakes. The bush like grass provides the cover they need in order to hide from predators such as the buffalo and the bear. Tigers also need the thick grass to camouflage themselves when hunting for prey. As the tiger ducks into the long grass, it lays dormant until the right opportunity. When he sees that chance, the 600 muscles that compose its amazing strength come into action as he leaps out of the grass and chases its prey. The inevitable end of the prey is shortly seen as he breaks the neck of the animal with its powerful paws and drags it on top of a tree to get away from scavengers. If these tall trees were not present the tigers prey would soon be lost to the scavenging packs of hyenas. The tiger also needs the trees so that it can sharpen its claws and rest to conserve the energy that it needs to supply its powerful and demanding body. Ultimately, this perfectly suited habitat correlates to successful breeding of tigers.

The need to save wildlife including the tigers has become extremely vital today. The only way to save these tigers is to raise awareness, not only within the society, but more importantly within ourselves. Groups such as World Wildlife Federation and other smaller organizations are working towards promoting knowledge and also saving species from extinction such as the tigers. Moreover, educational media is also trying to promote alertness of such issues and it is seen that Animal Planet is collaborating with the United Nations to raise awareness around the world about biodiversity and the importance of protecting endangered species and their habitats (The UN Works, 10). Even though these organizations play their vital roles in society, it is without a doubt that one must develop a personal consciousness and an individual desire to stop the poaching destruction of the habitat of the tigers. In most cases, individuals pursue such activities in order to generate a profitable source of income for themselves and their families. They need to understand that there are alternatives to such activities, even though they seem and sometimes are harder to accomplish. They need to acknowledge the fact that the easy way out is not necessarily the right one. Farmers who kill tigers to save themselves and their livestock also have alternatives such as calling the local authorities to get rid of the threat that wild animals such as the tigers pose to them. Analyzing the matter of deforestation, it can be suggested that as a substitute to deforestation, steps are already being taken to implement selective foresting. This is the cutting of certain trees that are abundant in the region. Also replanting new trees in the place of the ones that have been cut down has also been taken into consideration, but on a smaller scale. Mega corporations need to perceive and enforce these environmentally friendly methods and not resort to profitable means of generating revenue. On a final note, only once we fully comprehend the importance of this critical issue of saving wildlife for the enjoyment of our future generations, can we truly do something to change our erroneous lifestyle that we currently pursue.

Works Cited
D'Silva, Roy. "Endangered Tigers." Buzzle.com. 28 Apr 2007. Web. 21 Oct 2009. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/endangered-tigers.html>.

Hance, Jeremy. "Rash of tiger attacks linked to deforestation by large paper corporation APP."Mongabay.com. 19 Mar 2009. Web. 27 Oct 2009. <http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0318-hance_sumatrantiger.html>.

Hanel, Rachael. TIGERS. 1st ed. Minnesota: Creative Education, 2009. 7,8,11,12,15. Print.

Thapar, Valmik. Saving Wild Tigers. Delhi: Permanenet Black, 2001. 391. Print.

"Born to be Wild." The UN Works to save Endangered Species. The United Nations, Web. 1 Nov 2009. <http://www.un.org/works/OLD/environment/animalplanet/tiger.html>.

"Farmers Kill Fourth Sumatran Tiger This Month." Redorbit.com. 27 Feb 2009. Web. 29 Oct 2009. <http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1646565/farmers_kill_fourth_sumatran_tiger _this_month/index.html>.