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

[peter]

1 - MARKOVS KILLER

Good find and very interesting read, Brotherbear! Many thanks. I added a title to your post, enabling readers to connect the story to the book of John Vaillant ('The Tiger'). 

I read Vaillants book more than once. The story is true and interesting, the research was well over par and Vaillant knows how to tell a story. Dale Miquelle thought it was a great book. My advice is to buy it when you can. And while you're at it, try to get 'Dersu the Trapper' (Arseniev, V.K.) as well. There's a new translation (1996).    


2 - THE BOOK OF JOHN VAILLANT

For those who didn't read the book. In 1997, near Sobolonye (close to the Bikin river), a trapper shot (and robbed) an adult male Amur tiger. The tiger survived and turned the tables. He found his cabin, started psychological warfare and finally killed and consumed him. After another man was killed and eaten, it was decided to take him out. When they were close to him, the tiger was waiting. It was a close call.  

Vaillant heard about the story, went to Russia, pieced everything together, added a bit of history on the Russian Maritime Province and produced a well-written and very interesting book in which bears also featured to an extent. Fights between Amur tigers and bears of similar size were not about food, those he interviewed said. It was about something else.


3 - INTENTION

One of the American researchers working in Russia, when asked about Amur tigers and vindictiveness, said he had sedated not a few of them. As he was still alive and well, he had serious doubts about the issue discussed in Vaillants book. A bit strange, as he, of all people, should know there is a difference between capturing Amur tigers for research and hunting them. It is about intention. What I'm saying is tigers, and all other wild animals for that matter, are able to distinguish between those out to hunt them and others.

Today, intention isn't taken very seriously. Not so long ago, it was. The Udege didn't mess with Amur tigers and they had good reasons. It's true that trophy hunters and those who saw animals as merchandise didn't care about what they considered as hearsay a century ago. Most of them made it to old age, but not a few were wounded or killed (both by tigers and bandits) and nearly everything of value was destroyed. The destruction also had consequences for those who made a living in Russias Maritime Province. 

Today, the intention is to preserve. The knowledge they had a century ago is largely gone, meaning they had to start all over again. But the intention is there and the result is Sichote-Alin has more reserves, more wild animals and more tigers. It also resulted in less confrontations. Ussuri brown bears still kill humans every now and then, but Amur tigers do not. Even starving tigers, although they visit farms and sometimes even shelter in sheds (...), seldom attack humans. 


4 - BIG CATS AND INTENTIONS

Wild Amur tigers no doubt top the list of some hunters. Those who hunt them don't seem to care much about anything. The experience with captive tigers I have says tigers know and anticipate. In regions where tigers have large territories and humans are few, like in Sichote-Alin, adult Amur tigers know those who share their territory, including humans.

They follow them, they know about their retreats and they know about their actions and their psychology. If a man hunts, the tiger knows. If he hunts tigers, the tiger will try to stay out of reach. When he is shot at, he could act. It depends on the circumstances and the personality. If the hunter is operating with others, chances are the tiger will wait for an opportunity or leave. If it is a one-man operation, the tiger could act in the way Vaillant described.


5 - CAPTIVE BIG CATS

5a - Daniel Rafo (tigers)

When interviewing Daniel Rafo, an Argentinian trainer who had a contract with a European circus, I watched his tigers for a very long time. I saw that one of his male Amur tigers was tormented by a fly. As warnings didn't deter the insect, the tiger waited for an opportunity. He struck with more speed than I expected and carefully examined the fly. 

Rafo told me his tigers were observative animals. He described them as thinkers. As they quickly understood routines, he changed his act every few months in order to prevent boredom. This was much appreciated. His Amur and Indian tigers (true Indian tigers, he said) didn't like each other. There was a lot of interaction and he had to stay tuned in order to prevent problems. Every now and then, he had no option but to allow for a brief fight in order to prevent too much tension. If he didn't, they would wreck his show.

They got their fights, but never seriously wounded each other. This was the deal and they respected it. He said the Indians had more endurance and speed, but the Amurs usually quickly overwhelmed them because they were quite a bit heavier. Both knew the outcome before they started, but they enjoyed a confirmation every now and then in spite of that. 


5b - Two stories from the facility I visited every now and then (tigers)

Tigers distinguish between people. When they like someone, there will never be problems. Example. One day, I watched a vet distracting a large molar from a male Sumatran tiger. It took some time to get it done. I wasn't the only one interested in the operation. When the molar was finally removed, I started measuring the tiger. While doing so, I was gently drawn to the cage by a big paw and pushed aside. The paw belonged to one of the brothers of the tiger with the sore molar. What he said was he was interested in the proceedings as well. In order to prevent questions on precautions, I will add I knew I was close to him when I was measuring his brother. I had never seen that tiger before, but when we met he told me we would get along.   
     
Another story. Same facility. A male Amur I had carried to his cage when the vet had finished (some years earlier), also was known for his disposition. But I had watched him for hours and thought we would get along. This was the reason I stepped into his cage to measure him. While doing so, the one who recorded the measurements suddenly turned pale. The reason was the tiger had raised his head and prepared to rise. I gently placed my hand on his head, stepped over him, opened the door, stepped out and closed the door. Before I was done, the tiger was fully alert (...). He protested about the treatment he had received in such a way I thought he would tear the place apart. It was a very impressive demonstration. 

All visitors, about twenty (including a team of a broadcasting company), left the place in a hurry. When they left, he attacked and we're not talking about moch attacks. Two hours later, although still raging mad, I moved to the exit and he made way (his cage was less than 3 feet from the exit). This although he knew I had been the one who had entered his cage when he had been unable to move. Not saying you can do what you want, but tigers really distinguish between persons (and animals, for that matter). With big cats, it's always personal.

If you would conclude I had just been plain lucky, I won't argue. And then I would. Here's another story. 


5c - About a large male big cat and a woman (jaguar)

The facility mentioned above also had a large male jaguar. He too was known for his disposition and for this reason he was avoided by all keepers. One day, I was there with my girlfriend. In the evening, the director took me out to see a male lion who had just arrived. While talking in front of his cage, I turned round and saw her sitting near a large black animal, her arm over his neck (...). It was the large male jaguar. They were talking. I never heard a jaguar talk before, so I was interested.

I didn't interfere, but the directors wife had seen both as well and came out of the house crying murder. Before she had reached the cage, the male jaguar had climbed to the top of the cage, opening and closing his huge jaws much like a bear would. The sound compared to that of a 9-pound hammer used with force. When she approached the one who had taken the liberty to contact the jaguar, the animal rose on his hindlegs directly behind the woman she addressed and roared like a lion. As animals always have very good reasons to act as they do, I wasn't that interested in what she had to say. The jaguar did it for her. 


6 - WILD BIG CATS 

6a - Surinam

All stories in this post are based on what I saw myself and I saw a lot. To keep it short. In my opinion, captive big cats are good observers, good profilers and very sound decision makers. They also often are very reliable.

Same for their wild relatives. The jaguar who lived on the island we had selected to spend the night on in a Surinam river was a gentlemen. One night is ok, he said. Well, make that two. The things I remember most are the clear way of communicating and the relaxed atmosphere. There never was any doubt as to his intentions and the result was we acted in a similar way.    

Am I just a lucky guy, or could it be that the stories one hears about big cats are incorrect? Sure, there's animals with a temper and there's bad timing, but my experience says one has to be very unlucky to run into problems with big cats. Dogs could be more dangerous. 


6b - Differences between solitary and social predators

When visiting a country that has wild predators, one has to distinguish between solitary predators, social predators and smaller predators. Solitary predators need many years to mature and usually stand on their own. Social predators mature in a group. Every group has a different culture and culture has a profound effect on individuals. In general, one could say social animals are less interested in humans. And than there's group dynamics. In a group, things can change real quick. In most groups, there is an unseen but more or less constant struggle for power.   

Smaller predators living in a region that has an apex-predator are more elusive, more edgy and more unpredictable. Although many think leopards are as intelligent as their larger relatives (if not more so), they have to be on their guard all the time. Lions and tigers will kill leopards given the opportunity and lionesses or tigresses with cubs will hunt them when they get too close. Defence is a factor that can't be neglected. So much so, it affects their behaviour.  


7 - TO CONCLUDE
                      
Adult big cats are excellent profilers. If you enter a facility as a volonteer, they will tell you all you need to know real quick. My advice is to keep your distance, but you can show you are interested. Most big cats show their personality sooner or later. Sooner if the facility is sound and later when there are problems. Captive big cats are mirrors of things you are not aware of. If the facility is run in a decent way, the cats often will be interested in contact. Never initiate it yourself, as you also wouldn't when they would be free. Let them come to you. Adults usually are more reliable than youngsters. The reason is they are more sure about themselves. 

Wild solitary big cats took a long time developing. They are different from captive big cats in that they learned the hard way. They are survivors, meaning they took the right decisions. Those who made it to adulthood and a territory are balanced individuals. Compared to their captive relatives, adult solitary big cats really are adults in every possible way. They are top profilers who have something we would describe as selfrespect or self-esteem. 

In Sichote-Alin, male tigers have vast territories. In some years, prey animals migrate because of crop failures. In many winters, they have to deal with deep snow. It's not easy to make a living in Russia. Male tigers share their territory with competitors, like large bears and humans. They don't treat them as other male tigers, but they keep an eye on them. This means they know about their habits and intentions. A bear or a human can be dangerous. If the tiger is well-informed, he is able to keep track of them and to keep out of reach. If the human goes for tigers, confrontations can't always be avoided. The action of the tiger depends on the situation. If the man is acting on his own, he might be confronted and warned. If shot or robbed, the tiger can decide to act in a different way.

Markov didn't care about tigers and also didn't fear them. The Sobolonye tiger knew. When wounded, the tiger decided to eliminate him. Before he did, the hunter was intimidated. His territory was invaded and objects were destroyed. Those who knew him told Vaillant that the psychological warfare had an affect on Markov. Many thought he had already given up before he was killed. 

What Vaillant did was remarkable. But what about the Sobolonye tiger? Markov shot and robbed a neighbour. He didn't care about the consequences and boasted about his act. Until he was made to care. When the consequences arrived, he wasn't prepared. Or was he?  

Manchuria, southeastern Russia and Korea compare to the Appalachians. A century ago, the region was vast and densely forested. It had few tribes and few hunters. Most hunters Russians, Cossacks, Koreans and Chinese. Hunters operated on their own or in small groups. Many of them were watched by their collegues. When ready to sell the pelts they had collected, they not seldom were robbed. Some made their escape and alerted others. At times, criminals were caught. Murder was one thing, but theft was considered the ultimate crime. Baikov wrote thieves usually were sentenced to death. They weren't shot, but tied to trees to be taken by tigers. The tigers often obliged.  

Russia, in contrast to Manchuria and Korea, had few man-eaters. This most probably is the reason Amur tigers were tolerated to a degree. It also could be the reason they were protected after Kaplanov had sounded the alarm in the early forties. Amur tigers recovered in the fifties, sixties and seventies, but there were never more than 500 in the last 4 decades. The reason was habitat destruction and prey depletion. After the Sovjet-Union collapsed, poaching was added. The situation looks a bit more promising today, but it is a fact that 60 000 hunters with a license do not quite agree with more tigers. 

The last thing they need is a man-eater. They were right to take the Sobolonye tiger out, as he had taken another man not long after Markov. But hunting could remain a problem. When you have so many hunters, new Markovs are bound to appear sooner or later. So far, however, they are doing a great job in Russia. Even 'problem tigers' only very seldom attack humans. In this respect, Amur tigers are very different from Indian and Nepal tigers. Reply