Tigers of North-Eastern India

[peter]

(11-25-2022, 03:14 AM)远东北亚巨虎 Wrote:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Corpses of two animals killed by kzt085 in November 2017：
A 20-year-old adult female rhinoceros and a 2-year-old male golden tiger。There may be a population of golden tigers in Kaziranga。The young golden tiger may come from the eastern region, and is also the descendant of golden tiger queen kazi 21

1- WELCOME

I know you joined our forum quite some time ago (2019), but a, ehhh, very late welcome still isn't out of place. Hope you will enjoy your time over here.

2 - NAME 

This is the first time I decided to respond to a post you wrote. The problem is I can't write your name and my guess is I'm not the only one. The reason is I'm not able in Chinese. In order to improve the situation in the communication department, the advice is to add a second name. A name all of us understand. You can, to be clear, continue to use this name when you post, but another is needed for the reason stated (communication between members).  
 
3 - PROPOSAL FOR A SECOND NAME

Your posts suggest you're interested in tigers in northeastern India. My proposal, regarding a second name, is to use one related to tigers in northeastern India. Could be the name of a reserve, a river, a region, a biologist or a hunter. 

As to the last category (hunters). There are many who hunted tigers in northeastern India in the days of the British Raj, but only few wrote about their experiences. One of them was Col. F.T. Pollok (1832-1909). He was stationed in Burma (for a period of 13 years) and Assam (for 7 years). 

I found this photograph in one of his books. The longest tiger he shot in Assam, by the way, was 10.2 (309,88 cm) measured 'between pegs':

*This image is copyright of its original author

  

Another hunter who wrote a book is F. Nicholls. The book I'm referring to ('Assam Shikari', Auckland, 1970) was discussed in the tiger extinction thread some years ago. Nicholls was a planter, but also hunted tigers. He lived in Assam for 52 years, so he knows a few things about this part of India. In his book, he more than once underlined Assam tigers are large n(referring to mass in particular). The longest he shot was 9.8 (294,64 cm). Here's the cover:

*This image is copyright of its original author

4 - QUESTIONS

I selected 2 photographs of your post. The reason is I have a few questions about the comments you added regarding this incident. Before turning to the questions, I decided to post the photograph I have. Watch the tiger:

*This image is copyright of its original author

 

4a - The incident 

The photograph is quite something. It shows an adult female rhino and a 2-3 year old male tiger with a remarkable coat lying close together. After seeing the photograph, I read the statement of the Kaziranga Park. I also saw the video you uploaded (on YouTube) in 2019. 

The rangers offered 2 explanations. They initially thought the tiger and the rhino perished in a fight. Later, they said both could have been killed by the resident male tiger. You (referring to the video and your post) seem to be sure the second explanation is the correct one. The question is why you got to that conclusion. 

4b - Cause of death

As a result of the remarkable incident, it seems likely questions were asked. Did a vet see the rhino and the tiger? If so, was his report published? 

4c - Identification

There's no doubt about the identity of the young male tiger and the female rhino. The question is if the young male tiger was killed by the rhino, the resident male tiger or another male. Why do you think the resident male was involved? If so, why are you sure he wasn't injured by the rhino, the young male or both? Why do you think he was injured by an 'invader'? 

5 - A FEW IDEAS 

I've read a number of letters (in the JBNHS) and reports about tigers killed in fights. Although some are strangulated, most, and young animals in particular, perish as a result of a fractured skull. It's the most effective way to quickly decide a fight. In order to get to a position to deliver a crippling bite, a serious advantage is needed. Adult male tigers often are larger than young adult males, but the youngster killed in this fight was quite robust. 

The youngster, most probably (tigers seriously injured in a fight usually try to move to a secluded spot), was killed on the spot. This suggests the resident male had a massive advantage. Could have been size, but maybe he surprised and immobilized him with a bite to the lower back first. The injuries on his back, however, suggest they were not caused by a tiger. Maybe the rhino was involved after all. If so, why did she collapse so close to the tiger and why is it both perished in such close proximity?  

Did she kill the tiger, was he killed by the resident male tiger or was another male tiger involved? 

I don't think it was the rhino. I mean, she died instantly. Could she have killed the young male with a fatal injury?   

Let's assume the rhino was killed by the youngster and the youngster was wounded in the fight. Maybe the resident male heard the sounds of the fight and saw the young male in a bad shape when he arrived unseen. Maybe he was able to ambush, immobilize and quickly kill him. The question is why he didn't eat the rhino or cannibalize the tiger. What I know is tigers involved in a deadly fight seldom eat their opponent. This suggests the resident male could have been injured.      

Not long after the fight, the resident male was seen in a bad state. Maybe he was injured in a fight with an 'invader', but if the invader was there not long after the fight between the rhino and the tiger, he might just as well have been there before he went for the resident male. Maybe it was this tiger that heard the commotion and killed both the rhino and the young male. Or one of them. Maybe he injured the resident male when he arrived at the scene, maybe the fight between them drew the attention of rangers and maybe this is the reason the rhino wasn't eaten. 

The rangers think the resident male fought and killed the rhino first and the young male tiger for trespassing later. If so, it must have cost him quite a bit of energy. And if he did, the question is why the young male was injured by the rhino, as the photograph suggests. 

What I'm saying is things are unclear. This is why the report of the vet, if there was an autopsy, has to be discussed. We need to know if the young male was injured by the rhino. If so, where he was injured and what was the nature of his injuries? In what way was the young male tiger killed? Did he sustain the injuries on his back before he was killed or after? Did they impair him in a fight? 

6 - TO CONCLUDE

I've read quite a few of your posts and also saw a number of videos you posted on YouTube. What I want to tell you is there is a difference between posting a video on YouTube and posting on a public forum. 

The difference is videos offer more room. YouTube has a few rules, but you can decide about the content and the way you want to do it. When you join a public forum, rules come into play. Wildfact has one rule only and that is respect. Respect for the natural world and those making their home in that dimension. Respect also relates to good (reliable) information and interaction with members. 

We have, to be quite sure, no complaints whatsoever in these departments, but we would appreciate a second name for the reasons mentioned. We also want our members to distinguish between facts and opinions. If you refer to facts in your posts, reliable sources need to be added. They will enable others to check the information you post. If you have ideas or opinions about a specific topic, we would like to know a bit more about your arguments and the way of reasoning. If you tell us why and how you got there, it will enable those interested to interact in a meaningful way. 

I want to underline your contributions are appreciated. You seem to have access to good info and the stories you post are interesting as well. In a way, they remind me of the sagas in the lion section. I also don't doubt the reliability of the info you post. For this reason, your reputation will be upgraded.  

One question to close the post. You most probably noticed tigers living in the northeastern part of India have different skulls (referring to profile and relative size). Any ideas about the possible reason(s)? Reply