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

[peter]

(02-13-2018, 06:24 PM)brotherbear Wrote: I just don't think there is much to the 1943 Sungari River event as told by Jankowski, except for the immense size of the tiger. A tiger found feeding on a carcass is circumstantial evidence at best; nothing solid. I'm not saying that a big male tiger cannot and does not occasionally kill a mature grizzly. Having been living within the same environment for tens of thousands of years, I'm sure that there has been many such events. After all, a tiger is a natural-born assassin and is equipped with the tools of the trade. But as you have said yourself Peter, a bear is no joke.
As for the tigress killing the 170 kg ( 375 pounds ) grizzly, here again not a big story. Such a bear is probably either an adult she-bear or a fat juvenile male. The average Amur tigress is about 137.5 kg ( 303 pounds ). The bear is heavier but the tigress I would guess was probably at least a foot ( 30.5 cm ) longer in body length. 
There is no doubt that more bears are killed by tigers than tigers by bears. Tigers are pure-predator. Bears are omnivores.

In his letter of 8.5.1970 to V. Mazak, Jankowski said the Sungari river tiger was the largest he and his brothers had ever seen. The tiger was 11.6 'over curves'. Jankowski sent a photograph he took himself. In the same letter, Jankowski said the tiger had killed and eaten a very large male brown bear, of which he found a leg and the head. In his book, Mazak referred to the letter more than once. 

Jankowski also wrote a book. The tiger was mentioned and so was the bear. Jankowski said the skin of the tiger, not the tiger, was 11.6. Different from what Mazak wrote. What to make of that? Well, in his letter of 8.5.1970, Jankowski wrote the hunters had to get help to move the tiger out of the forest. The tiger was cut up. As each of the nine men carried a piece of 30-40 kg., Jankowski thought the tiger was not less than 300 kg. (662 pounds). In his book, Jankowski apparently wrote the length of the skin was 11.6. But how measure a skin of a tiger that was cut to pieces not long after he was shot?

The addition on the bear in the same letter was from Jankowski, not Mazak. Every time Mazak talked about the Sungari river tiger, he referred to Jankowski's letter. In the letter, Jankowski wrote that the tiger had killed and eaten a very large male brown bear.

What to make of the difference of opinion on the length of the tiger and the bear? Warsaw said Jankowski's book is the primary source, meaning his word is vital. Also, indirectly, meaning that Mazak lied on the length of the tiger and the bear.

There's another possibility. Mazak's book sold well in Europe, meaning Jankowski's letter and the photograph he added would get a lot of attention. As Mazak quoted from the letter and also published a unique photograph taken by Jankowski, he needed permission of Jankowski. Apparently, he got it. It's also very likely he sent Jankowski a copy of his book before it was published. This means that Jankowski must have agreed with the part Mazak wrote about him. 

Jankowski knew about the book, he knew about the letter he wrote and he knew about the photograph he sent. As the book was published, Jankowski must have agreed in all departments. Mazak, with permission of Jankowski, was the first to publish about the Sungari river tiger and the details provided by Jankowski in his letter of 8.5.1970 to Mazak. This means that his book, and not the book of Jankowski, can be regarded as the primary souce.    

And what about Jankowski's book? I didn't read it, but it was published half a century after the event, when Jankowski was 82. 

But the dispute isn't about the length of the tiger, the bear, Jankowski and Mazak, Brotherbear. It's about deliberate misinformation and disqualifying a well-trained and very dedicated man with a reputation after his death. It's about the ease used to eliminate a problem and it's about legal affairs.  

In my two posts, arguments and logic prevail, but anyone able to read knows there's more to it. I contacted people in the know. Reply