ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[peter]

PANTHERA TIGRIS AMOYENSIS - L


L1 - Links to newspaper reports, articles, papers and books on the South China tiger

There is not much on the South China tiger on the internet. Same for newspaper articles, papers and books. Most of what was published is unknown. For this reason, I decided to post a few links. 

Remember that not every book or article is up to par. For this reason, I will add a few comments when possible.


L2 - Camps and Trails in China

This book was published in 1918. The writer, R. Chapman Andrews, was 'Associate Curator of Mammals in the American Museum of Natural History and leader of the of the Museum's Asiatic Zoological experdition in 1916-1917'.

Chapters VI and VII are about 'The Great Invisible'. In both chapters, Mr. Caldwell, an American missionary with a keen interest in hunting, features. Caldwell shot a large number of troublesome tigers, most of them man-eaters. Although shortish, both chapters are interesting to a degree because they are largely based on the experience of Caldwell. 

Caldwell was stationed in Futsing, about 30 miles from Foochow (Fukien Province). Tigers in that region were known as Amoy tigers. Those who wrote about tigers in China, as far as I can tell, didn't distinguish between tigers in the southeastern part of China and those in Shaanxi, Sichuan, Hubei and Hunan. Based on what I found, my guess is there was a difference. Tigers in the southeastern part of China could have been a local type of Panthera tigris corbetti, whereas those in the centre of China could have been Panthera tigris amoyensis. 

Although some tigers shot in the southeast exceeded 9 feet in total length and approached 400 pounds, most males fell (well) short of that mark. But there was a lot of individual variation (see the paragraphs below). 

Tigers shot in the elevated regions of central parts of China could have been similar in size at the level of averages. A male of 150 kg. (about 330 pounds) shot during the 'war on tigers' in the fifties and sixties of the last century was considered large for the district, but I also found reports about males well exceeding that mark.  

The table below was posted by a Chinese poster on the 'Animal versus Animal' (AVA) forum some years ago. The table is a bit deceptive, as it has both young and old animals. Most, if I remember correctly, were captive, but tiger 6400129 was a wild male shot in Shaanxi Province. This male, at 199 cm. in head and body and 190 kg., was both long and heavy:   

*This image is copyright of its original author

       

Some parts of Hunan Province were known because of the size of the tigers. Males exceeding 200 kg. (about 442 pounds) apparently were not rare. Tongdao County in particular was quite famous before the 'war on tigers' started. 

Anyhow. Here's the link to the book:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12296/12296-h/12296-h.htm (chapters VI and VII)


L3 - A site with information about Amoy tigers

In the first decades of the last century (1900-1930 roughly), tigers in the southeastern part of China were more often hunted by Europeans and Americans than those in the centre of China. There were many reasons. One of them was access. Another was no forests. Approval of the local rulers also would have made a difference. The population no doubt supported a hunter going for a man-eater. 

In those days, Amoy tigers often hunted domestic animals as well as humans. Not a few hunters wrote that all Amoy tigers were man-eaters. Although this qualification wasn't accurate, man-eating tigers were not rare. American hunters in particular were quite active. I will post some of their stories in some time.

Some years ago, I posted about the site referred to in the title of the paragraph. It has a lot of information. Not everything is reliable, but those interested in the Amoy tiger no doubt would be able to find their way. Here's the link: 

http://www.amoymagic.com/Amoytiger.htm


L4 - A bit more on the size of Amoy tigers

Some years ago, at AVA, I found this: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

I think it was posted by 'KingOfEurope'. Most unfortunately, I don't know where he got it. If one of you would be able to find the source, I would be very grateful.

As to the information on the size of Amoy tigers. I remember that the tigers were measured 'between pegs'. The writer thought Amoy tigers more or less compared to Indian tigers for length, but my guess is they were shorter. It's also clear that they were less robust and shorter-skulled. Based on the other measurements, I think that a male reaching 400 pounds would have been quite exceptional. 

But you never know.

Well over a century ago, there were more tigers. Much more. This means that individual variation would have been more pronounced.

The newspaper article below was posted on AVA as well. It was published in the New York Herald on June 8, 1889: 
 

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

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