Amur Tigers

[Apollo]

(03-05-2017, 04:49 PM)brotherbear Wrote: About post #355 - W.J. Jankowski (in Mazak, 1983) shot a very large (11.6 'over curves' and about 300 kg.) male tiger in Heilongjiang (north-eastern China) in July 1943. Very close to the tiger, Jankowski found the remains (head and paws) of a 'very large' male brown bear which had been killed and eaten by the tiger some days before he was shot (unpublished letter, dated May 8, 1970). This report, however, was never mentioned by researchers and both Jankowski and Mazak, apart from a photograph of the tiger and the letter mentioned, did not provide crucial details on the bear. Too detailed to dismiss and too meagre to accept, one could conclude. 
 
It is my understanding that this W.J. Jankowski was not highly accepted by the scientific community of his day. After killing a very large tiger, he finds that the tiger had been feeding on the carcass of a large male grizzly; with only the head and a single paw remaining recognizable. This tells me that this carcass had been fed upon for a lengthy period of time. Considering that the two biggest killers of mature male grizzly is either another grizzly or a hunter's bullet, it is ( imo ) quite possible that this tiger simply discovered the bear's carcass. To say the least, to lay claim that the tiger killed the bear is jumping to conclusions. 
Also, to say that in the Russian Far East that the tiger dominates the grizzly is a bit misleading. Certainly, being full-time predators, tigers kill more bears than the other way around. However, a very small percentage of these bear-victims are mature adult females and far less if any chosen as prey are full-grown males. As Guate Gojira pointed out, normally, full grown males of both species tend to avoid each other. This is because neither the tiger nor the grizzly can be hailed as the lord of a region inhabited by both. 
I feel also, as Peter has mentioned on more than one occasion, that tigers and grizzlies are hostile towards each other. During his growing-up years, a young grizzly must walk in fear of tigers. Once the bear becomes a fully-matured male he will simply have a strong dislike of the big cat. Perhaps the tiger feels just as strongly an anger towards the grizzly; the only beast in the taiga that he cannot easily overpower. 

I totally agree.
Well said @brotherbear.
Regarding that bear and tiger incident. Is it possible it could be a hibernating bear ???


I feel there should be more research  done on this interesting and unpredictable encounters.
I know its very tough and hard. But IMO its worth the effort. Reply