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

[Shadow]

(11-07-2018, 09:32 PM)brotherbear Wrote:

(11-07-2018, 08:54 PM)Shadow Wrote:

(11-07-2018, 07:55 PM)brotherbear Wrote: Tiger's nose is most important part of his body? Sounds more like the bear. Tiger expels bears from his domain? I have read where tigers do not consider bears as predator competition. Probably the omnivore bear even smells different than a pure-predator. Most sounds good but some questionable.

Nose for sure is important to every predator, especially for solitary animals without help of a pack or pride. Expelling was for me odd part  of that message from Krasnykh. Still it was also interesting because even if that was inaccurate expression, it raises question about brown bear population at that area. Are too many female bears been killed there reducing number of cubs? And if so, what is the reason... tigers? Poachers? Irresponsible legal hunting... I mean for instance in Finland hunting is legal, when officials give permission. But killing a mother bear with cubs is always illegal unless there is imminent threat to people for some reason. Stupid hunters can do a lot of damage if just shooting first bear on sight without making sure what is the situation.

Hopefully, what ever the situation is, it wouldn´t be result of poaching and/or stupid hunters.

Important yes, but for a big cat not most important. Wouldn't you say sight and hearing is more important to a big cat than his sense of smell? Bears, being more scavenger than predator, his nose is all important. As for poachers, if this is the problem, should be dealt with harshly.

Well, I think, that losing ability to smell and track down animals would be pretty much like losing one limb. So much more difficult to find prey, that starving soon and then when finding prey, much more difficult to hunt in weakened state... Hearing and seeing wild animals can happen only in relatively short range. Maybe it is impossible to say, what is the most important sense, but for sure hearing, seeing and smelling are combined that trio, that losing one means big trouble.

What comes to poaching, that´s of course speculation. But because tigers and bears have co-existed in that area thousands of years and there has been all the time known interaction between these animals, I don´t believe a minute, that tigers would have suddenly expelled bears. So if there is now observation, that less bears than before, first thing coming in mind is result of some human actions. Logging, poaching etc. Something done effecting to bears especially. 

But I think, that Krashnyk was just somewhat sloppy, when she wrote about this matter and didn´t think it through carefully. It can happen :) Not the end of the world. Otherwise I found her message very interesting and obviously she has a lot of knowledge. Reply