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

[GuateGojira]

Bali, Bengal, Malayan or Sumatran tigers???

Did you remember that some time ago, someone put two pictures of allegedly the only two Balinese tigers in captivity? Well, here are again:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Many of us believed that, in fact, these tigers looks dark and more like an island tiger, so with no more evidence than that, we accepted that these were from Bali. However, I have found the following pages about the Ringling circus, with several pictures from the old days.

In the first pictures, it says: Woman holds front half of tiger which stands on its rear legs; on back "Put smile on the girl & tke helmet or hat off--make hair red (bobbed hair)" and "John Robinson" and "Miss Ione Carl wrestling 'Kittie' the Royal Bengel Junglebred Tiger"  So, it claims that this is a jungle-breed Bengal tiger. It was a cub, a female, or a mistake?
Source: http://emuseum.ringling.org/emuseum/view...d5dbf5a78e

The second picture: Animal trainer Mable Stark wrestling tiger Rajah inside cage; image ran in National Geographic in 1931. As far I remember, Mabel Stark used Bengal or Sumatran tigers, am I right?
Source: http://emuseum.ringling.org/emuseum/view...d5dbf5a78e

Following this line, nothing suggest that these were tigers from Bali, but certainly the size and the color of the coat make very doubtful the asseveration that these came from India. However, we most remember that in those days, a "Bengal" tiger could came from India, Nepal, Bangladesh or the entire area of Indochina! So, why these specimens could not came from Malaysia? Even further, I guess that these tigers, based in a simple visual judgement, are no other than Sumatran tigers. In fact, if we make a comparison, there is very little to use to separate them. Maybe a more accurate eye can support or disprove this.

So, my conclusion is that these two tigers are definitely not from Bali, but from Sumatra, especially the two from the second picture, with Mabel Stark.

Here are other images from her, and check the size and overall frame of the 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

Those animals scream "Sumatra" in all they forms.

What do you think guys? Reply