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

[peter]

SHIR BABR

Thread content management is part of the job of the one who started the thread. Not someone else. 

This thread is about good information, not something else. Dismissing other posters is 'something else'. Not appreciated. 

The first post of Genghis was ok. Says me.

As to the words he used. They often appear in reports written by Russian naturalists and biologists. The descriptions may seem a bit over the top at times, but so were the things they saw.  

Wild boars in the Russian Far East are considered as very dangerous. This is why they are not often hunted. They also are large. Way larger than anywhere else, according to those who know: 

http://blog.wcs.org/photo/2016/06/03/a-bear-of-a-boar/

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.57536!/file/Albarella-et-al-2009-wild-boar-biometry.pdf (pp. 118)

In spite of the size of wild boars in the Russian Far East, tigers often hunt them. Adult males are included. One could say Amur tigers thrive on wild boars and be close. This means they learned to deal with them. 

Many years ago I saw a documentary about Amur tigers on a German channel. The team was following a youngish tigress. When the Russian rangers found an enormous skull of a male wild boar in the snow, they said it had been killed by the tigress they were following. The Germans didn't take them serious, which was repaid in that the Russians decided to call it a day. The Germans, now on their own, did a bit of work in the snow. The conclusion was that the Russians had been right: the boar had been killed by the tigress. And the boar was large. Very large.  

Young tigers in India leave mom well into their third year. Some of the 2-3 year old males are significantly heavier than an average adult wild male Amur tiger.

In Russia, young tigers disperse well before they reach 24 months. They face long winters, deep snow, long distances, large wild boars and scavengers often heavier than they are. You wouldn't favour them, but rehab tigers do quite well. Not a few of them are able to kill adult male wild boars and one young male tiger killed at least two bears interested in his kill. One of these was a young brown bear. 

It isn't a result of size. Most 2-4 year old male Amur tigers range between 280-360 pounds. Male wild boars are quite a bit heavier. Same for most youngish brown bears interested in tiger kills. In spite of the lack of size, adolescent and young adult Amur tigers (males and females) only very seldom perish in fights with wild boars. Bears are more dangerous, but they too often come up short. 

In the department of wild boars and bears, Amur tigers are different from other subspecies. As it isn't a result of size, other factors need to be considered. Those who saw things we did not often noticed the tenacity of Amur tigers. The words they used often seem a bit out of the ordinary. One could, as you did, take the easy way out and add a bit of salt. Another option is to go for understanding. You could start with a few facilities. Talk to those who know more than you do. 

I measured and weighed adult captive big cats. An average adult male Amur tiger is quite something, but I didn't forget the male wild boar I saw at close range in a forest. As impressive, if not more so. Wild boars in the Russian Far East are larger. Those who saw them often were flabberghasted (see above). Solitary old male boars in particular seem way too much for a decent tiger. But they are targeted as well and tigers only very seldom come up short in these fights. Why is that?             
  
Based on what I saw so far (referring to your posts), you could do with a bit of reading. How about a few recent articles on tigers and bears? We like posts with good information over here. Way more interesting than posts with the same old crap. When you can't produce anything of interest and decide for a bit of fun (like dismissing others), remember this way of interacting has distinct disadvantages. I don't like it one bit. Same for Sanjay.  

I agree there's a lot of crap these days, but that doesn't mean that every remarkable story is a result of imagination or hearsay. How about considering a somewhat different approach? There is good information out there, but you got to find it. Way more interesting than another post underlining the amount of garbage on the internet. We know about that one and don't care. None of our business. We started this forum to avoid crap. Well over 7 million views in four years say we're not the only ones interested in good information about the natural world.        

This post took me the best part of an hour. I consider it wasted energy.  

When you found something of interest, let us know. Until you do, stay away from this thread.    

GENGHIS

Don't respond to posters out for a bit of fun. That's my job. Focus on reliable information. The info on the Indian tigress and the wild boar is true, but the video says the boar had a problem before he was attacked. Watch his movements and the lack of caution. When attacked, he didn't respond. His problem was her luck.

In Russia, an experienced tiger only very seldom decides for a frontal attack. Not when a wild boar is targeted. Tusks and all that. In India, tigers often use a different strategy. Pays as well, but it has a few disadvantages. Not a few tigers have been killed by wild boars in India. In Russia, I only know of a few cases.    

When you see something remarkable, read it again. And again. When you quote, make sure we know you're quoting.

If you have something on tigers and bears that hasn't been posted, we're interested. Reply