John Varty & Tiger Canyon

[Vinay]

(01-31-2017, 06:48 PM)Rishi Wrote:

(01-31-2017, 05:10 PM)Vinay Wrote: Don't know how any one can deny these marvelous pictures?? ......No doubt they are 100%  WILD tigers ... John Varty remained as one of the natures great conservationist who trained Tigers to be WILD and hunt on their own in African Savanna. 

Hope Bengal,Sumatran and Syberian Wild tiger conservationists also follow him and befriend wild tigers. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

"No doubt they are 100%  WILD tigers"
.
Exactly, they're NOT!!!   (Not in tiger canyon)
Those zoo-bred, hand-reared, bengal-siberian crosses are his fundraisers & experiment subjects whom he tried to teach hunting by trial&error method..
Later in Laohu Valley, the pure-bred South China tigers can & does live a wilder independent live & (contrary to what u claimed) regularly hunts for sustainence in those grasslands...
"Just imagine Single Big Orange Cat moving towards deer in open grass lands(savanna)  ..... it is just a joke."
.
I don't need to IMAGINE

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

"John Varty remained as one of the natures great conservationist who trained Tigers to be WILD...
.
MAYBE we will say that 50yrs from now...

...and hunt on their own in African Savanna."
.
ONLY IF he can use that experience to replicate it with purebreds in Asia."


THAT REMINDS ME, I threw U a challenge..on that weird notion U have about tigers & grasslands
Fine, try & identify which 2 of these pics were taken in South Africa..  [img]http://i.imgur.com/2wnIXaU.jpg" class="lozad max-img-size" alt="" title="">

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

U R NOT JUST A TROLL, R U ?!

Here deer are not suicidal they know very well single tiger cannot catch them even in 10 feet AWAY .... That fkg Jhon Wasty shows the same deer at STRIKING DISTANCE and then next picture deer in TIGER'S Jaws in a FENCED AREA.... Same script in stupid videos too 

lol Only Idiots and Stupids believes that cheat ...Stop quoting me.  

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[Apollo]

(01-31-2017, 06:59 PM)Pckts Wrote:

(01-31-2017, 03:37 PM)YApollo Wrote:

(01-04-2017, 09:46 PM)Pckts Wrote: I've seen no proof of it.

@Pckts 

I remember seeing a post about this with a picture.
I think you too spoke about this some time ago, I guess you mentioned Guate was the original poster of that info (Im not exactly sure).
Unfortunately Im not able to find that original post about John varty and tiger darting.
Do you remember ?

When I went back and searched for it I found nothing other than what Guate said as well. So for me at least, he gets the benefit of the doubt. From what I've learned since from continued monitoring, I have become more understanding of his position and ideals.

Thanks @Pckts . Reply

[tigerluver]

(03-16-2017, 05:33 PM)peter Wrote: PANTHERA TIGRIS AMOYENSIS - B

b1 - Introduction

After the first post on the South China tiger (distribution), I intended for some information of Marco Polo, Pocock and Mazak first and a number of articles on the period 1950-1980 later. After reading the questions in the previous post, however, I decided for a different strategy. Hope you don't mind.      

b2 - A must read interview (Kit Chellel, 23-02-2016, Bloomberg Businessweek) 

This interview will answer the questions you have, Rishi. It's lengthy, but very interesting:

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-stuart-bray-south-china-tigers/

As it's lengthy, I'll post a summary later. For now, it's important to remember that the the South China tiger, according to the WWF, is functionally extinct in the wild. There are about 100 South China tigers left in captivity, of which Stuart Bray has 19 in his reserve in South Africa (Laohy Valley Reserve). 

b3 - Mods

As Varty also features in the interview, you could move a copy of this post (or the interview) to the Varty thread. If that's not possible, you could write a post in the Varty thread informing readers about this post.

Copied @peter. Reply

[Paleosuchus]

Captive cheetah kills 3 year-old boy on filmmaker John Varty’s farm

*This image is copyright of its original author

John Varty carries a young cheetah undergoing ‘rewilding’ on his Tiger Canyons farm © Barry Wrighy
"In a tragic turn of events a 3 year-old boy has been killed by a captive cheetah on Tiger Canyons, a tiger breeding farm near Philippolis in the Karoo region of South Africa.

Police spokesperson Motantsi Makhele said the boy was airlifted to a hospital in Bloemfontein after the attack, but succumbed to his injuries during the trip.


John Varty, owner of Tiger Canyons, confirmed the incident but said that it was not yet clear what happened. The boy killed is the son of Jacob Pieterse, a Tiger Canyons farm employee.



Police have confirmed that an inquest docket had been opened and that no one had been arrested in connection with the boy’s death.



Varty is a controversial and outspoken figure. His maverick strategy “To create free ranging self-sustaining populations of tigers, in the hands of private enterprise in and out of the Asian continent” on a barren Karoo farm in South Africa has its detractors. His strategy of ‘rewilding’ big cats seems to include cheetahs.



Varty frequently attracts controversy – including a protracted and crippling legal battle with former partners in Tiger Canyons farm and being hospitalised with two broken ribs, lacerations and puncture wounds after one of his tigers attacked him. He also accidentally shot one of his tigers, a new mother, in the foot. The tiger subsequently recovered."
https://africageographic.com/blog/captive-cheetah-kills-3-year-old-boy-on-filmmaker-john-vartys-farm/ Reply

[Haymaker]

Yeah I remember seeing a youtube video I believe of two of John Varty's tigers killing each other.  Sort of sad to see it, I always wondered, why didn't he break that up, because they weren't wild tigers, and they were just clutching each other, it went on for awhile plenty of time to do something, but eventually one of the tigers was killed I believe. 

I didn't realize he was in Africa, that's interesting, I kind have to agree I don't think it would be a good Idea to let the tigers out in the actual wilds of Africa if that is what he was planning.  Honestly the lions are really territorially, and I think the combat would ensue immediately. At the same time, I kind of wish it could work, it would be cool to have the tigers in Africa, it would be great to bring back the Barbary lion, increase the Siberian tiger population. If the Asiatic lions can do this well, the Barbary could and the Siberian could for sure. Reply

[Pckts]

Tiger Canyons Safaris

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

King Corbett
Hello Friends
On 10th of January 2009, Tigress Shadow gave birth to 4 cubs. Inside the den site I placed a surveillance camera and ran a cable back into my camp. From the monitor I could watch proceedings in the den.
On the 106th day of her pregnancy at 10:30am in the morning, the birth of the cubs began (The 4 cubs were born over a period of 2 hours)
I immediately took up a position outside the den and began filming through some strategic holes I had made. (The den was a dense thicket of bush with one entrance)
The first birth occurred, but I failed to capture it on film as Shadow was facing away from me. Shadow gave birth to the second cub while lying down and facing towards me. This I captured on film. (5.5 Million people have seen the birth on YouTube)
The cub broke through the embryonic sac (I later discovered that tiger cubs do not have retractable claws. It is these sharp claws that cut the embryonic sac).
The cub immediately waddled out of the den into the heat. (The temperature was 38 degrees outside the den)
I expected Shadow to go and fetch the cub but she lay exhausted inside the den.
The cub was giving a loud distress call, but Shadow paid no attention.
After 10 minites, I picked up the cub and crawled back into the den and placed the cub next to Shadow. Shadow thanked me profusely with staccato chuffing. (I had not interacted with Shadow for two years, but she showed no sign of any aggression towards me).
The cub immediately crawled out of the den for a second time. (Tiger cubs are born blind. However this cub's eyes were open although it couldn’t focus. It was moving towards the light at the entrance to the den)
This time I crawled next to the cub and chuffed it continually (chuffing is a sound tigers make by blowing air through their nostrils. The sound is easily imitated) To my amazement the cub answered me and immediately followed me back into the den. This time it found the teat & began to suckle from Shadow (later by matching the spot pattern on the cub, with the male tiger Corbett, I was able to determine that the cub that had had a conversation with me was indeed Corbett) The conversation which I had with cub Corbett, remains one of the magical moments of my life
Little did I know that this tiny tiger would grow into the most fearsome & aggressive tiger at Tiger Canyons and would one day nearly end the project and my life.
After two weeks, Shadow moved the cubs to a new den site. One by one she carried them in her mouth. (I was able to walk with her & film her moving the cubs.)
In the den she unfortunately sat on one of the cubs. (This is a common occurrence with inexperienced mothers). I have seen Lion & Leopard cubs squashed by their mothers.
While Shadow was away hunting, I entered the den & discovered the dead cub. (My intention was to weigh the 3 weeks old cubs.)
On entering the den, two of the cubs froze invisible in the dense foliage. However Corbett, just 3 weeks old, attacked the camera, striking the lens.
In this litter were two shy placid cubs. One was a female called Panna & the male cub was called Sariska. The third cub was Corbett who proved to be exceeding aggressive.
At 12 Months old, Corbett attacked a fencing crew & charged the men as they jumped into the jeep.
At 18 Months Corbett’s nose was ripped by a blesbuck horn as he tried to throttle it. A 3 hour operation followed during which time Dr Charlotte Mouiex sewed his nose back into his face.
At 20 Months old, Corbett killed the white tigress Shine. (Hunters had shot Shine with a dart in an attempt to steal her for a canned Tiger hunt. As Shine was recovering from the drug, Corbett killed her.) This is told in the book “In the Jaws of the Tiger”.
Corbett set up an ambush at Shine’s body. As I moved out of my jeep to film Shine, Corbett charged me. (I was able to regain the safety of the jeep in the nick of time, but left my bean bag behind. In frustration Corbett attacked the bean bag scattering the beans.)
In the floods of 2011, Corbett swam out of Tiger Canyons into the farm land.
As told in the book “In the Jaws of the Tiger”, Corbett charged Rikie Pieterse as he was wading through the water. In an incredible piece of interspecies communication, Rikie Pieterse was able to persuade Corbett not to attack him.
Many people have asked me why Corbett did not attack Rikie that day. I believe the answer lies in the fact that that Corbett was outside his territory & in unfamiliar terrain. Had Corbett been in his territory he would have been more confident & hence more aggressive. On an island surrounded by water, Corbett was not as confident & this in fact saved Rikie Pieterse’s life.
Rikie’s ability to chuff Corbett & talk to him & calm him down, remains an extraordinary piece of interspecies communication.
At 24 months, Corbett charged me from 50 meters as I was removing a dart from his brother Sariska. Only by firing shots in front of Corbett, was I able to stop the charge & regain the safety of the Jeep.
A year later, Corbett was nearly killed in a fight by the male tiger Seatao. To protect Corbett, I put him in a boma.
In March 2012 Corbett pushed his paw through the electric gate & attacked me. After grabbing me by the neck he proceeded to pull me through the gate & into the boma. Only incredible bravery & quick thinking by Julie Brown, Julienne Reid and Phumlani Mchunu saved my life.
In a joyous ceremony, Corbett was released back into the wild on 1st September 2014. (Corbett was given area of 1 500 hectares stocked with game.) On his release Corbett mated with Zaria who produced 3 cubs. One of the cubs was half white & half normal. (I suspected that Corbett may have been a carrier of the recessive white gene)
A male tiger called Tiger Boy attacked Zaria & the cubs. Corbett immediately attacked Tiger Boy, but Tiger Boy got Corbett in a death grip. Zaria jumped on top of Tiger Boy, forcing him to release Corbett. Zaria effectively saved Corbett‘s life. (I have seen the same behavior with the Leopards at Londolozi when a female called Vomba female jumped onto a male called Tyson when he was throttling a male called Camp Pan Male who was the father of Vomba’s cubs).
Tiger Boy killed all 3 of Zaria’s cubs. (I filmed Zaria eating the dead cubs. I filmed similar behavior with Mother Leopard & Tigress Julie when they had lost cubs.) A month after Tiger Boy killed Zaria's cubs, Corbett killed Tiger Boy. (Corbett immobilized Tiger Boy with a spine bite & then throttled him.)
Two Months later, Corbett killed Tiger Boy’s brother Shy Boy with similar tactics (It is not always the biggest Tiger that wins the fight but the most experienced. Because of his aggression, Corbett was involved in many fights& became a very skilled fighter).
Corbett caught two adult wildebeest cows. (Each cow weighed 250 kilograms). Corbett consumed both wildebeest over a period of 96 hours (Corbett weighed 200 kilograms and had the ability to take in 20kg of meat in one feed)
To protect young dispersing tigresses, Corbett was put back in the boma. Corbett broke out of the boma attacking Tibo, Ussuri & Indira. He pursued a young tigress called Oksana. Twice he nearly killed her & twice she escaped. The third time he trapped her in the canyon & Oksana dug out under the electrical fence.
As told in the last newsletter, a 34 day search for Oksana ensued. The search ended in a tragic result for Oksana.
Corbett had now effectively killed Shine, Tiger Boy, Shy Boy & Oksana.
Corbett broke out for the second time & again attacked various tigers. (Corbett has no regard for the electrical fence. He has learned to short the fence).
Corbett was put back in the boma, but broke out for the third time. (The third time he jumped over the gate, effectively avoiding the electric wires)
After a long deliberation, I euthanized Corbett.
Some people say it was a good riddance to a bad tiger. I never felt that way. I still feel a deep sense of loss. I am still a great admirer of Tiger Corbett. He had all the ingredients to be a territorial made tiger. Overloaded with testosterone he was extremely aggressive. He killed male & female tigers. He had become in the end a serial killer.
Corbett nearly ended my life & nearly ended the Tiger Canyons Project. However I remain in awe of this magnificent Tiger. He was extremely well bred & I suspect he carried the rare recessive white gene.
Today I embrace the attack by the Tiger Corbett as something I survived & which enriched my life. The passing of Corbett is the end of an era & hopefully new males will take Corbett's place.
Rest in peace, Tiger Corbett.
Tread Lightly on the Earth
JV Reply

[peter]

ABOUT MALE TIGERS, TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOUR, FIGHTS, TACTICS AND REWILDING PROJECTS


WILD MALE AMUR TIGER UPORNY

Remember the story on male tiger Uporny recently discussed in the tiger extinction thread? When he had just left his mother, Uporny, most probably half starved (it was November), killed a dog in or near a village. He was immediately arrested. After 6 months of rehabilitation, at the age of 3, he was released into the wild. From then on, Uporny, now collared, avoided anything even remotely related to humans. He settled near a river and mated. The tigress had cubs.

On February 17 of this year, his collar suggested something had happened. About a month later, they found him close to the wild boar he had killed. As he had died from wounds to his head and back, they first thought of a brown bear attack. Autopsy however strongly suggested that Uporny had been killed by another tiger. 

The question was why he had wounds to his back. I thought he had been surprised by another male while feeding. The other male, most probably, first targeted his back, maybe to immobilize him. When Uporny turned round to defend himself, big fangs were buried into his throat.

When a tiger (or another big cat, for that matter) is trapped in this way, there's no defence. When the aggressor is an experienced and powerful wild tiger, chances are his windpipe will be crushed immediately. When the aggressor lacks the power to crush the windpipe, his victim will be strangulated.    


CAPTIVE MALE TIGER CORBETT
 
John Varty runs a facilty somewhere in southern Africa. His trade is tigers. They don't live in cages, but in more or less wild country. With more or less, I mean that the area they occupy is fenced. The tigers are monitored as well. Although 'rewilding' seems to be the aim, at least to a degree, Varty apparently doesn't want the full monty.   

Varty no doubt knows that a captive tiger developing into a wild tiger will try to find a nice ranch and breed. The ranch conquered will be vigorously patrolled and defended. The search for a home is not a game. Wild tigers competing for space will fight and kill each other. 

Only few wild tigers will conquer a territory and breed. My guess that about a third will get to adulthood. This means that most others will either succumb in fights or remain transients. In the Russian Far East, as a result of very large territories, transients might stand a chance, but in densely populated reserves in India, they can't avoid interactions. As there is nowhere to go, it's do or die.                 

Back to Varty. Here's some quotes:

" ... A month after Tiger Boy killed Zaria's cubs, Corbett killed Tiger Boy (Corbett immobilized Tiger Boy with a spine bite & then throttled him) ... ".

" ... Two months later Corbett killed Tiger Boy's brother Shy Boy with similar tactics (It is not always the biggest tiger that wins the fight but the most experienced. Because of his aggression, Corbett was involved in many fights & became a very skilled fighter) ... " .

" ... After a long delibertion, I euthanized Corbett. Some people say it was a good riddance to a bad tiger. I never felt that way. I still feel a sense of deep loss. I still am a great admirer of Tiger Corbett. He had all the ingredients to be a territorial made tiger. Overloaded with testoterone, he was extremely aggressive. He killed male & female tigers. He had become in the end a serial killer ... ".


CONCLUSIONS

1 - In serious fights, it nearly always is a close call. When his cubs had been killed by 'Tiger Boy', 'Corbett', about 200 kg. (442 pounds), attacked him. During the fight, 'Tiger Boy' got a death grip. It would have been game over for 'Corbett', but tigress Zaria saved his life. Some time later, 'Corbett' attacked 'Tiger Boy'. My guess is he surprised him. This resulted in a spine bite followed by a death grip. As 'Tiger Boy' was on his own, he couldn't get out of it.  

2 - Based on what I read, my guess is male tiger 'Uporny' was surprised as well. The 'wounds to his back' could have been the result of a deliberate spine bite. Maybe this results in immobilisation and maybe it doesn't. It is a big disadvantage no matter what. You can't go forward or backward. The only option is to turn around and chances are it will be the last turn you do. Adult wild male tigers have a crippling bite. Once they lock on, it's game over. Uporny didn't stand a chance. There were no traces of a fight in the snow. 

3 - Varty wrote that aggression would result in experience and skill. Could be, but we also know that Corbett had been extremely lucky on at least two occasions (referring to fights with 'Saetao' and 'Tiger Boy'). His aggression could just as well have backfired, that is. For this reason, I have doubts on experience and skill. If it means getting involved in a fight you can leave, it could be. But if it results in an all-out with a similar-sized male, it could be the end.

The only way to get to an early advantage is a surprise attack, so it seems. The spine thing apparently is a bit underestimated in tigers. The question is if it is learned behaviour or a result of instinct. If it would have been a result of learning, it would have to be experienced first. As a victim, I mean. Doesn't seem likely, as it has devastating results. This means that is has to be a result of instinct. This is confirmed in that it was both seen in a 'rewilded' male (referring to 'Corbett') and a wild male (the wild male Amur tiger who killed 'Uporny').


VARTY'S PROJECT

To finish the post, a few remarks on Varty's project. The aim isn't destruction or the opposite, but to get the facts straight.

a) Varty is connected to wildlife. Important, as the natural world is on its way out everywhere.  

b) His tigers don't live in cages, but have a kind of life. They're different from the parodies seen in zoos and facilities. 

c) Varty's place isn't part of an ecosystem suited for tigers. It also isn't a reserve with government back-up, researchers, rangers and a buffer zone. This means his project is a private firm of some kind and that money, for lack of a clear product, will be a structural problem.           
 
d) Varty's goal is unclear: his tigers can't be introduced in Asia and don't belong in Africa. 

e) Varty's goal on rewilding is unclear. Wild tigers avoid humans, but Varty tries to keep in touch. He also knows that only the most aggressive will succeed. In spite of that, he took the most capable in that department out.   

f) I know Varty is struggling. Not saying that his project could be transformed into a tiger farm, a Jurassic park or a place where you can see a bout between dangerous animals, but investors nearly always want a say. And a return, one way or the other. I hope he will stay on top of the situation. I've seen too many similar projects end up in a total mess. Reply

[peter]

RECENT INTERVIEW WITH VARTY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwnf0Cd37Os Reply

[Pckts]

Lets not forget that Jon Varty is a lot more than just a "tiger guy"
He and his family started the Londolozi Game reserve and he's had a lifetime of experience with wild african animals.

"John Varty filming the Mapogos (Mr T, PB and Kinky Tail) @ Londolozi and trying to get close to one of them, Kinky Tail (no one did it before!!!)"

""Hunt with Me"

the legendary wildlife filmmaker John Varty presents some of his favorite hunts (lions hunting buffalo and buffalo turning on a lion). In the first scene we can see the West Street males, in the second 3 young Mapogos were hunting and Rasta was very lucky to escape with his life...."

Reply

[Pckts]

JV images: Bird mating with Tibo at Tiger Canyons
Sundaban is the dominant territorial male. Bird (called Bird because of the spot pattern on his forehead ) is the son of Tibo, the white tigress.
When Tibo comes into oestrus, Bird interfers with the mating. However, Tibo is aggressive towards Bird and will not allow him mate with her.
Bird is bigger than Sundaban (I estimate Bird to be 225kg) with the result that he can't expell Bird from the territory.
For 3 days Sundaban mated with Tibo and on the third day Bird is allowed to mate with Tibo, just twice.
Tread Lightly on the Earth
JV

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[Polar]

Wait, what?

Bird is mating with his mother? 

"Bird (called Bird because of the spot pattern on his forehead ) is the son of Tibo, the white tigress."

Does this usually happen in the wild or is this just an isolated case? I thought every animal had genetic ability to smell which relatives are closest, and not to mate with them.

Wow! Reply

[Pckts]

John Varty

JV Images: Because Bird is bigger than Sundarban and because Sundarban is low on testosterone, Sundarban is unable to remove Bird from the territory.
The result is Bird and Sundarban have formed a coalition and often spend time in the water playing together.
Tread Lightly on the Earth
JV

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[Rishi]

(08-15-2017, 03:01 AM)Polar Wrote: Wait, what?

Bird is mating with his mother? 

"Bird (called Bird because of the spot pattern on his forehead ) is the son of Tibo, the white tigress."

Does this usually happen in the wild or is this just an isolated case? I thought every animal had genetic ability to smell which relatives are closest, and not to mate with them.

Wow!

Yes, they do that...A LOT.

I'm trying to find an old video i've seen of father-son duo mating with a female. Will post it shortly. Reply

[Pckts]

John Varty
JV Images: Bird and Sundarban spent an hour play fighting
in the water and on the flood plain.

It is rare for male tigers to form coalitions.
Tread Lightly on the Earth
JV

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[Pckts]

John Varty
October 14 at 3:05am ·

My Response To Letter From Elayna Kinley
Hello Friends
"Dear JV
I have looked on the Tiger Canyons site, and have been unable to find a current list of tigers, let alone an up-to-date family tree for the tigers. For instance, the father of Panna's cubs, Khumba. Where did he come from? Is he a tiger that is completely unrelated to the Panna, or is he related to her? There should be no reason why the only available data on the tigers, other than mentions in newsletters, is over 4 years old. There's nowhere to learn of births and deaths. And if I'm going to get invested in an animal, I want to have regular updates on them, without having to scour each and every update on the off chance that tiger might be mentioned. You have the time to write all those newsletters, but you can't even do at least a yearly update on the major events that have happened to each tiger? Why not have a sub area where all the information for the tigers in kept, with separate pages for each tiger. Have how old the tiger is, their history, who their relatives are, how big their territory is, how successful that are at hunting, how shy they are, who their neighbors are and if they're had any major fights with them. That way, if someone saw a video about Panna, or Corbett, or so on and wanted to know more about that tiger, they could simply click on that tiger's page and find out all about them. The idea that if I want to learn more about one of the tigers I have to trawl through every single newsletter ever released on their site for just a few mentions of an individual tiger has completely turned me off the idea of finding out anything about your tigers.
You trumpet that you're focused on conservation, but without a diverse gene-pool, you're dooming the tigers that will be born in the future to having short, illness stricken lives. Just looking at the current state white tigers are will demonstrate that. All white in captivity that come from a 'pure' line originate from four individuals which were intensively inbred so that they could ensure that all cubs born would be white. And the tigers have suffered from it. It has happened time and time again that when a gene pool narrows too much, defects will show up. Just look at pedigree dogs. There isn't a single breed of pedigree dog that doesn't have health issues. If you're really serious about conserving tigers, rather than just using them as an attraction to bring visitors to your park, then you must ensure that inbreeding is prevented. And inbreeding doesn't just mean matings between siblings. It also means matings between cousins and second cousins.
As tigers aren't native to Africa, unlike with lions you can't simply exchange animals with another park. And as your tigers aren't part of the tiger studbook used by zoos, you can't bring in an unrelated individual from a zoo or park to boost genetic diversity. As that is the case, why not get together with conservationists and scientists to see if your tigers can be used as a case study for artificial insemination of wild tigers? Not only would this allow the genes of completely unrelated males to be introduced into the park, but it would also be a major contribution to saving tigers world wild. Most wild populations of tigers are fragmented and isolated, meaning that to prevent inbreeding animals have to be moved from park to park. This has a lot of risks attached. But if conservationists could simply collect sperm from say a captive male and use it to inseminate a wild female in an area with a low tiger population, it could very well save the species.
I hope that you can read this email with an open mind and not see it as me dumping on you, but in the spirit with which it is intended, as constructive criticism. I do think the work you're doing is important, but if even one aspect of it isn't putting the tigers first, especially an aspect that could so negatively affect them in the future, then it needs a serious rethink.
Regards
Elayna Kinley"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JV Response:
Hello Elayna
Thank you for your Email.
I agree with your first paragraph. Our web site needs updating, we will do this soon. Thank you for all the good ideas.
“You trumpet that you are focused-on conservation, but without a diverse gene pool, you’re dooming the tigers that will be born in the future to having short, illness stricken lives”
I wish I could play the trumpet, I only play guitar & harmonica.
Any tiger that is inbred, is vasectomised or sterilized. We have a cub introduction system whereby we introduce cubs not related into the litter & thereby keep our genetics diverse. In the case of Khumba, when the cub introduction failed (I could not find Shadow’s den), he was hand raised.
Khumba has fathered cubs with Panna & Oria giving us excellent breeding stock. Therefore, your comment about short, illness stricken lives, is incorrect. Julie lived to 14, Shadow is 12, Ron was 12, Seatao was 10, Sunderban is 9, Panna is 9. So, our tigers are living a long time. We have had no illnesses, only a bite from a Cape Cobra claimed Seatao’s life.
"Just looking at the current state of white tigers I will demonstrate that all white tigers in captivity that come from a 'pure' line, originate from four individuals which were intensively inbred so that they could ensure that all cubs born would be white. And the tigers have suffered from it. It has happened time and time again that when a gene pool narrows too much, defects will show up"
All white tigers came from a white male tiger called Mohan who traveled from India to USA in the 50’s.
We have bred two white tigers from carriers Seatao & Julie. (A carrier has one white gene and one normal gene)
The first white tiger was Shine, who was killed by hunters trying to steal her for a canned tiger hunt.
The second white tigress is Tibo who is still alive & has produced three cubs that have dispersed.
Tibo is a very fine specimen & is quite aggressive. She has killed a young female called Aurora and recently she killed her sister Indira. (Her son Bird helped her kill both Indira & Aurora)
Our policy at Tiger Canyons is to preserve the rarity of the White tiger & therefore, we are concentrating on wild born, wild raised, self-sustaining, normal tigers.
“As tigers aren’t native to Africa, unlike with lions, you can’t simply exchange animals with another park”
A group of scientists at Wits University believe the Tiger was in Africa & went extinct. These scientists believe that in time with fossil evidence, they will prove the Tiger was in Africa.
The Wits scientists hypotheses is that the Tiger after being widely spread, crashed & small population survived in Asia. It is from this population that the modern tiger evolved. This would explain why there are no Tigers on the island of Sri Lanka. The land had split from the mainland by the time the remnant population radiated outwards.
This would also explain why Tigers have such a narrow genetic base, because it came from one remnant population. (Cheetah are also very genetically narrow)
“As that is the case, why not get together with conservationists and scientist to see if your tigers can be used as a case study for artificial insemination of wild tigers”
Artificial insemination has been tried before by others, with disappointing results. It is expensive, difficult & very invasive.
Because of canned tiger hunting in South Africa, (Lion canned hunting is legal; Tiger canned hunting is illegal) there is a wide genetic variety of Tigers in South Africa. Therefore, natural mating and cub relocation as explained, is a far better option.
“Most wild population of tigers are fragmented and isolated meaning that to prevent inbreeding animals have to be moved from park to park”
India is a perfect example of where the island scenario is emerging. Tigers have recently gone extinct in Sariska & Panna & no cross pollination of genes between parks like Rhanthambore, Kanha & Bandhavgarh exists.
Indian conservationists would do well to examine cub relocation. A non-related cub can be sourced & the Tigress can be darted & the non- related cub introduced into the litters. I have had success with both lion & tiger using cub relocation.
However, my fear is with India’s huge human population (India is through 1.4 billion) and it’s notorious bureaucracy, this kind of forward creative thinking will never materialize in India.
Several senior Indian government officials and conservationists will be visiting Tiger Canyons in the near future & I will certainly be showing them how cub relocation works. However, I’ m not holding my breath.
“I do think the work you are doing is important, but if even one aspect of it isn’t putting the tigers first, especially an aspect that could so negatively affect them in the future, then it needs a serious rethink”
I don’t quite understand this remark. Have you ever been to Tiger Canyons? Have you ever sat down with me & discussed my management policies?
I have spent the last eighteen years of my life living in a dilapidated house. Every cent I have earned has gone into land, fencing & prey for the tigers. I could quite easily stay at Londolozi & live in luxury.
My reward is a spiritual one. I get to interact with this magnificent cat on a daily basis. I get to see young cubs mature, disperse, mate & have cubs of their own. I also have the sorrow when one of the tigers dies.
So let me ask you, apart from sitting behind your computer, what have you done for Tigers?
Thank you for your Email, you make some constructive points.
Tread Lightly on the Earth
JV Reply