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

[peter]

WOLVERINE

Thanks again for the translation. I've some questions about the information you posted. 

1 - As to the remains of the Himalayan bear they found. Was that bear killed by the Sungari river tiger or another tiger? If it was killed by the Sungari tiver tiger, it means the hunters had been at his trail for some time before they found him. 

2 - In his book, Jankowski wrote the tiger was skinned before he was cut to 9 pieces. I assume that the 'Japanese' hunter who skinned the tiger most probably was the Korean professional hunter Sin-En-Tschzhin?

3 - Jankowski confirmed the skin was 11.6 (350,52 cm.), but later apparently said it was over 3.75 m. (...). That's a difference of 25 cm. (about 10 inches). If it really was 375 cm., it means the skin was 12 feet and 4 inches, and not 11.6. I wonder what kind of tape was used (inches or cm.). A fresh (unprepared) skin of 12.4 would fit a tiger nearly twice the weight of an average adult male Amur tiger. If it was that long, the tiger would have been close in size when measured 'over curves'.

4 - The skin went to the Bryner family in Harbin (northeastern China). After World War Two, Mao came to power. What happened to the Bryners? Could the skin be in one of the large Institutes in Harbin?

5 - I'm very interested in the skull. If correct, Jankowski's father got it from his old friend, the Korean hunter Sin-En-Tschzhin (the hunter in the photograph). This means it's likely that the Jankowski's still have the skull. How find out more? What would you suggest?     

6 - The video shows a quite large male Amur tiger lying on his belly in the snow. He must have been surprised and killed in seconds. This is why they didn't find signs of a struggle. It was an execution. The photograph of the autopsy posted before (watch the faces of those present) suggests the damage must have been considerable.

Male Amur tigers are not as heavy as male Ussuri brown bears, but my guess is that an average male brown bear surprised in a similar way also wouldn't stand much of a chance, provided the tiger gets a good grip right away. If not, chances are there will be a struggle. If both are average in size, the margins could be small. I slightly favour the more robust bear, but both know they can kill each other. There's a big difference between an ambush and a fair struggle.

Talking about a fair struggle. Sysoev is one of the few who could have witnessed a fight between a young adult male tiger and a Schatun. In his story ('Amba'), the bear won, but it was a close call. Sysoev's book ('The Northern Jungle', if correct), is next on the list. It was published in 1960 or thereabout. Reply