Animal trainers

[peter]

LIONS, TIGERS, FIGHTS AND TRAINERS - II

c - The essence of lions and tigers

c1 - Lions

Lions are the only social big cats. In Africa, they live in groups or 'prides', consisting of related females, 1-4 (up to 7) adult males and cubs. Most prides live on more or less open plains. Every pride has a territory that is defended. The size of it depends on the size of the pride. The larger the pride, the larger the territory. Competition for territory, depending on the productivity of an estate, can be intense.

Young males leave the pride when they are about 2-3 years old. As they do not stand a chance on their own, they often team up with other young males. Although these bachelor groups sometimes include an old male, most consist of immature animals without a territory. As long as these groups lack a territory, bachelors hunt for themselves. When the members reach adulthood, the bachelor coalition invades a territory. The outcome of the struggle with the owners, more often than not, is determined by combined weight. When they win the battle, the new rulers often kill the cubs of the old rulers.

Pride males seldom rule for more than 4-5 years. In regions with a lot of pressure, it's less. In the period they rule, hunting does not come first. Most energy is invested in defence and protecting the cubs they sired. In prides, conflicts between males over food and females are common. Apart from that, they face periods of starvation on a regular basis. As a result of the pressure, males quickly lose condition (and weight) after 7-8. Only few wild male lions die of old age. 

The way of life of lions has significant consequences. Males unable to compete won't breed and often perish before their time. Those who made it to adulthood and a pride usually are more aggressive than those who didn't. They also often have more ability in conflicts. Last but not least, they learned how to count. The reason is most battles are decided at the level of coalitions.      

These treats are deep-rooted in all male lions, wild and captive. As captive male lions also live in prides and do not need to hunt, most energy is invested in competition. This is the reason that working with male lions is energy absorbing and dangerous.  

c2 - Tigers

Adult tigers are solitary big cats. Although males contribute to the upbringing of the cubs at times (a century and a half ago, Col. Fraser, hunting in the Hyderabad Dominions, was convinced adult males took care of cubs who had lost their mother), the tigress is on her own in most cases. About half of all cubs perish before they disperse. In Russia, males disperse when they reach 18-22 months. In India, where many tigers live in protected reserves with intense competition for space, young males disperse when they are a bit older. Before they disperse, males learned how to hunt.

Like immature male lions, immature male tigers face many dangers. When they reach 3-4 years of age, male tigers are able to challenge older animals with a territory. Like in lions, size is decisive in fights. In lions, size is expressed in the combined weight of the coalition. In tigers, it is expressed in the weight of individuals.   

Male tigers can't rely on others and know there are no opportunities outside of the reserves. This means a fight can have serious consequences. More often than male lions, male tigers perish in fights for territory.

When they established themselves, male tigers continue to grow in size. Quite many reach 10-15. Although they too invest a lot of time in defence, male tigers differ from male lions in that they have to hunt for themselves for as long as they live. As they provide for cubs they sired when their mother perished, they have more knowledge about their territory than many assume. Male tigers, like male lions, usually share their territory with more than one female (up to 6 in Nepal).

For young male tigers, boldness and aggression often are the quickest way to a premature end. Patience and caution pay. The extra time earned in this way will result in more size and experience. In most parts of India, a 400-pound 3-4 year old male would face a heavier and more experienced contender. A 450-pound 4-5 year old male, however, should stand a decent chance. If the opponent is too big, he can always move to a place with better prospects.  

c3 - Conclusions

Young males lions forced to leave their pride often team up with others young males. These bachelor coalitions usually stay together until a territory has been conquered. It doesn't stop there. Pride males continue competing for females and food with other members of the brotherhood. One could say male lions never stop competing for hot spots, females and food. This way of life resulted in a now-or-never and over-my-dead-body attitude. These treats are so deeply engrained, that they are also typical for nearly all captive male lions. If anything, they are even more competitive than their wild relatives.         

Most Indian tigers are born in protected reserves. These compare to islands in an ocean of humans. As a general rule, they have even less room than lions. When male tigers leave their mother, they face a long road to adulthood. As this road is paved with large territorial males, dangerous prey animals and humans, they need a long time to learn the trade. For a young male tiger, development is crucial. As boldness can result in a premature end, most male tigers are cautious and elusive animals. When the time to move has arrived, they need to be as fit as possible. Male tigers don't conquer territories by teaming up. They have to do it on their own. As size counts in a one-on-one, male tigers, even in captivity, are obsessed with it. When they conquer a territory, they, like male lions, need to invest heavily in defence. The difference between male lions and male tigers is male tigers continue to hunt on a regular basis. Male tigers face a permanent struggle between getting bulky enough to win fights and staying lean enough to hunt.
    
If I would be forced to go for one major difference between male lions and male tigers, it would be time. Tigers need time to develop. This is engrained in all tigers. Male lions, on the other hand, are always pressed for time. Furthermore, they developed in a coalition. These differences resulted in a very different make-up. Male tigers often are elusive and cautious animals, whereas male lions need to be bold and aggressive. Reply