Zoos, Circuses, Safaris: A Gallery of Captivity

[peter]

TIERPARK BERLIN - I - OCTOBER 2015

Berlin has two zoos. I reported on the first one a year ago. This year, I visited the Tierpark Berlin. A bit larger than the other zoo, it's quite something to behold. We needed two days to get an idea. As the Tierpark struggles to make ends meet, both zoos decided for a kind of joint venture. I hope the Tierpark will remain on its own, as it has a lot of species seldom seen in other zoos.

The Andes bear is an example. We estimated him between 170-190 kg., but bears usually are heavier than you think:

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The Tierpark Berlin has two Amur tigers. They are from the Moscow zoo. Both (male and female) are in great shape. Compared to all other wild cats, they are large. Make that very large. We watched the male in particular for a long time. We concluded he is 200-210 cm. in head and body length (straight line). With a tail well exceeding 100 cm., his total length would range between 310-320 cm. 'between pegs', possibly a tad more. Apart from that, he is long-legged. Well over 100 cm. while standing. His head, as you can see, is very large and massive. Compared to the three male Amur circus tigers I measured some years ago (280, 287 and 298 cm. in total length), he most definitely was larger all the way.

One of the most striking features in tigers is the combination of size and power and athleticism. Although it may seem a bit different in the picture, the shoulders, the upper-arms and, in particular, the fore-arms and paws are very powerful. I do not doubt that some large male Indian tigers in northern India are more massive, but I wouldn't bet against him in spite of that:       

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One could argue about the meaning of athleticism. For me, it is a combination of strength and the ability to use it in the best possible way. In order to do that, you not only need strength and fitness, but also awareness, control and balance. How to act right when needed. Agility comes to mind, but it's more than that. Did it show in some way?

Yes. Example. When the tiger was moving, he seemed like a dancing ghost. Although we could see him all the time, he took us by surprise time and again. He was here, there and everywhere. We couldn't hear him walk and we didn't see him climb the tree. One moment, he was lying down, legs in the air, and the next he was in a tree very close to the bars. He accepted the response, then moved over to the female. She immediately responded, but couldn't get to him. Visitors were warned to stay away from the bars, as she was known to respond in an aggressive way when general rules of conduct were not respected.  With four 6-month old cubs, you keep your distance.   

Smaller cats, like leopards and, in particular, pumas, do it all the time (moving fast and climbing trees), but that is what you expect from a cat ranging between 30-75 kg. You also often see it coming. A lion, similar in size as a tiger, is bigger, heavier and more massive than jaguars, leopards and pumas. When making a point, you expect him to just kick the door in and move anything out of the way while doing so and that's what you get in most cases. One would expect something similar with a tiger of that size or even larger, but this is not the case. A lion compares to a heavyweight bouncer, whereas a tiger is closer to a dancer also capable in martial arts and demolition.

When the tiger was lying down (see the picture above), we were discussing a few things. Although we watched him all the time, he suddenly was a yard and a half before and above us. Watching, always watching:     

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When I asked the others about the differences between lions and tigers, they said tigers seemed more nervous or more alert (depending on how you perceive the attitude). Some of the people also watching the tigers agreed. Tigers made them feel a bit weary, whereas lions, in their opinion, oozed more trust. More reliable, they thought. 

One could say that smaller cats in general evoke more wearyness. When I asked them which of the big cats they would not want to face one on one, they, without exception, agreed on female leopards, female pumas and female tigers. Females are more weary and more active.

Most cats will refrain from direct contact when they watch you. Tigers do not. Watch the tigress below:      

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