How & Why We Lost Our Tigers

If we study the Human History we will find that we have always been dependent on wild animals, from meat to dairy, travel transport and keeping yourself warm with animals skins in harsh cold temperatures. There were times when people of different ages had stories about different wildlife species, when travelers, traders don’t dare to pass the territories ruled by the such Wildlife like Tigers. We have seen them part of religious and cultures as symbol of bravery and glorification. How Quickly the time changes, at a stage Humans has to change the routes to avoid Wildlife clash, Today Tigers have no where to go.

According to the research there are only 3890 Tiger species left in the World. A world with 7 Continents plus 200 Countries and 8 billion people  living only has 3890 Tigers left. In the start of 19th century there were 100,000 Tigers living on this Planet. When we talk about Life on this Planet we should remind ourselves that Wildlife and Marine Life are living on this Planet way before than Human existence. So do the Tigers, they are 1.8 million years old, The earliest fossils of true tigers are between 1.6 and 1.8 million years old and were found in Java. Distinct fossils are known from the early and middle Pleistocene deposits in China and Sumatra. Tigers first reached India and northern Asia in the late Pleistocene, reaching eastern Beringia, Japan, and Sakhalin. Some fossil skulls are morphological distinct from lion skulls, which could indicate tiger presence in Alaska during the last glacial period, about 100,000 years ago.

How We Lost Our Tigers:

Things never happen overnight so is the case with the Tigers and so many other Wildlife species. The vary problems some of the Wildlife face in Africa & Asia was that countries where there were Wild Life habitats were not developed countries. So for under developed and Developing countries protection of Wildlife is just another problem along with many problems like, poverty, hunger, lack of infrastructure, inflation, joblessness etc. Now all these problems do have direct or indirect impact on the Wildlife. In our case we are talking about Tigers and the Countries where they were found were Mostly Asian Countries and had far more severe problems than Saving Tigers but still that is not an excuse at least we can educate people and solve their common problems which directly effect the Protection of Wildlife. Following is the map of Tigers present and Past habitat which will help you understand.

 Loss of Habitat:

The first thing which can be clearly seen in the map is the loss of habitat, where that habitat is lost the answer is very simple, Deforestation, logging urbanization etc. As we are talking about Asian countries Specifically and Asia is the world’s most populous region the main cause in Asia is the Rapid Urbanization, the speed at which cities grew and are growing especially in those areas which are close to Natural parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries . The Cities, Towns Villages expended and the Natural Parks and wild habitat shrink which forced the Human Wild Conflict. When towns and villages cross into the Wildlife Sanctuaries the Wildlife like Tiger does attack Humans and their pets. Farmers can be seen killing leopards and Tigers in India in many viral videos on Social Media. Lack of awareness of people leads to this kind of Human Wild Conflicts. people believe killing Tigers will safeguard them and their pet animals from being attacked. But they miss out a scientific aspect here which is Balance in Nature. Wildlife, Humans, Plants, they all keep a balance in the Nature. The Survival of Eco Systems actually give birth to the life. Humans surly don’t understand this in many parts of the world, and in Under developed and Developing countries it is not less than a dream. though efforts are being going on, initiative taken by many organizations to aware people that Wildlife can only be protected if their Habitat is Protected.

Illegal Wildlife Trade:

Another serious issue is the illegal wildlife trade, as other animals are being killed and sold for their body part illegally Tigers do have their share in it. Their skins come very handy for making leather and shoes and other products, Their Paws and nails are cut down for ornaments trade. The important thing here to understand is that why does this happen, the reason remain the same here too, Under developed countries and Developing countries, People d it to make a living for  themselves. they don’t have nay other source of income so they find it easy setting tarps killing tigers in the Wild without knowing how badly it will effect the balance of the Nature. If people have better source income Tigers can live a happy life. Skins and ornaments can be made or replaced by any other product.

Human Footprint & Over Crowded National Parks:

Many may Disagree with my this point but facts are facts, We do understand how important i t is to photographing and filming Tigers and other wildlife in the National Parks for awareness purposes for recording and monitoring their behavior.

But Countries like India and Indonesia Which are heavily over Populated, and same is the case with tourism and other things. People do leave their foot print in the wild, which is not good for the tigers, especially for breeding and reproduction. Research and Behavior patterns shows that Adult tigers like to live solitary life and they mark & maintain their territories

There is certain environment in which Tigers mate and they reproduce. The parks must reduce the amount of people going to such places and Human Foot Print in Natural parks must be controlled. These Wildlife creatures like other to need a breathing space to live their life properly. In order to ensure the growth of Tigers such steps needs to be taken.

Tiger Species & Population in The World:

Bengal tiger: Less than 2,000
Indochinese tiger: 750-1,300
Siberian tiger: Around 450
Sumatran tiger: 400-500
Malayan tiger: 600-800
South Chinese tiger: Extinct in the wild
Caspian tiger: Extinct
Javan tiger: Extinct
Bali tiger: Extinct

Here is Some of Our Photography of Tigers you can view more on our Instagram Account (@findfocusfilms)

www.Instagram.com/findfocusfilms