India
had always proved to be a safe haven for tigers in the past as people have worshipped
nature and animals. Tigers belong to the cat family that includes lions, jaguars
and leopards. Tiger is the largest of the living cats. There are five types of
tigers on earth and Siberian tigers are the largest among all. Unfortunately,
tigers are facing a grave danger of extinction, as large scale poaching is prevalent
in the countries where these are found.
But with passage of time and
change in perception of the world around us, rather with the increase in materialism,
tigers were hunted on a large scale for money and medicinal purposes. Rising to
the alarm of extinction, Project Tiger was conceived in 1973. Consequently, many
forests were declared no-hunting zones and laws were framed for protection of
tigers. Hence, the birth of national parks took place. India, being home to about
60% of the world's wild tiger population, is now the best hope for tiger survival.
The Indian tiger is second only to the Siberian tiger in size. Their
power is tremendous. Male Indian tigers frequently weigh in excess of 250 kg and
individuals in excess of 380 kg are verified. These may capture prey items in
excess of 900 kg. The different varieties of tigers are: Royal Bengal Tiger, Indo
Chinese tiger, Siberian tiger (also called Amur tigers), South China tiger, and
Sumatran tiger.
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