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Edge of Extinction
ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)
ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)
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ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)
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 (06-23-2017, 08:30 AM)Wolverine Wrote:(06-20-2017, 08:18 AM)peter Wrote: But what was written about the wild boar found close to Uporny? Was it completely eaten, or partly? OWNERSHIP IN TIGER SOCIETY In tiger society, the rule regarding food is 'finders, keepers' or, more accurately, 'killers, keepers'. Territorial males displace females at times in India, but it doesn't happen often. In hard times rules might change, but fights over ownership seem to be rare anywhere. Ownership is important in tigers. A kind of basic rule. As to Uporny and the wild boar. My guess is the wild boar was killed and partly eaten by Uporny. He couldn't finish the boar because he, most probably, was attacked by another tiger. They didn't find traces of a fight, but Uporny was killed on February 17 this year. Death was instantaneous. His opponent must have been quite a tiger, as Uporny's canines were long and large. A TOUGH LIFE RESULTS IN TOUGH RULES - THEFT IN TIGER SOCIETY As the winner didn't finish the wild boar, it isn't likely that the fight was about food. As it happened in winter, when Amur tigers mate, it could have been related to mating. Maybe Uporny, following a tigress, entered the territory of another male and maybe he stayed too long. Maybe his long stay resulted in illegal hunting, which is a major offence in tiger society. The reason is simple: it is difficult to make a living in the taiga. When a young tiger leaves his mother, he has to learn how to survive on his own. In a region with few prey animals, long distances, long winters and a lot of competition, it isn't easy to survive. Not seldom, adolescents end up hunting dogs in or near villages. Some of them are shot or starve, whereas others are caught and rehabilitated. When a tiger finds an empty place with enough game, he can settle down. From then on, he needs to patrol his territory. Every now and then, ownership will be questioned. When he survives these clashes, he has to learn how to deal with scavengers. There are no easy days in the taiga. Those who make it to adulthood are hardened survivors. This is especially true for males. The territory of an adult male usually has 1-4 adult females. They, to a degree, are protected by males, but males are on their own. Always. They rule until they go down. At times, they perish past their prime, but Uporny was killed before he reached five. A century and a half ago, when the Russian Far East had been added to the Russian Empire, people moved east. Many cof those who settled down in what's now the Russian Far East hunted for a living. In spring, they had collected enough pelts to go to a market. This was the time that many of them were robbed, and often killed, by those who had watched them unseen for months. In the taiga, theft was considered a major offence. Worse than murder. Thiefs often were condemned to death. In summer, they were buried alive. In winter, when the ground was frozen, they were tied to a tree for the tigers. No wonder that Manchuria had plenty of man-eaters back then:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author TIGER SOCIETY AND HUMAN SOCIETY Maybe the first settlers compared to tigers to a degree. Both were on their own and both had to work hard to make a living. Both had to watch their back all the time and both hated scavengers. My guess is their policy towards thiefs and scavengers (no mercy) also compared. When you live in an unforgiving region for a long time, your attitude will change. These early hunters, like tigers, most probably were guided by a mix of permanent apprehension, elusiveness, distrust and a 'shoot first, no matter what' policy. You need to stay on top of a situation. One mistake could be your last. The stress, as Baikov wrote, no doubt resulted in superstition of some kind in most. Those able to relax in spite of that, like poor Dersu, paid sooner or later. SO WHAT HAPPENED TO UPORNY? All this to say that Uporny was a thief? I don't know. I do know he wasn't killed by a brown bear, but by another male tiger. His opponent didn't care about the wild boar and Uporny, as far as I know, wasn't mutilated (male tigers killed during the mating season often are mutilated). So it wasn't about the wild boar and it also wasn't about mating. That leaves a fight over territory or a warning for all involved in illegal hunting. It could have been territory, but it isn't likely. The reason is that Uporny had settled down in the region in which he was found some time ago. He met a tigress, who had cubs in autumn. If there would have been an owner, he would have found Uporny after some months. I can be wrong, but my guess is that he was the rightful owner. That leaves illegal hunting or an attempt to enlarge his territory. Uporny, now father of a family, could have decided to enlarge his ranch. Maybe the legal owner had been challenged and maybe he was on his way to Uporny. Mature, experienced male tigers know when to keep a low profile and when to act. Maybe the owner of the ranch found Uporny off guard and killed him without a fight. Maybe this is why death was instantaneous. Instant death can be a result of luck, but it can also be a result of an ambush. Planning. Instant death also points towards experience. Those who saw the lethal wound in the throat during the autopse seemed a bit surprised on the photograph. I though I also saw something reminding me of shock. All in all, I don't think his death wasn't a result of a fight or bad luck. Anything can happen in a fight, but what we know doesn't point towards a fight. It most likely was something else. I propose 'ambush' for now, but would also agree with 'execution'. My guess is Uporny was attacked when he was eating. His opponent first targeted his back and when Uporny turned round to defend himself his throat was penetrated by large fangs. One bite and one hold, that also could have crushed his windpipe. Could have been a matter of seconds. That's why no evidence of a fight was found. YOUNG MALES AND OVERCONFIDENCE Young adult male tigers not seldom overplay their hand. Close to their prime, they often feel invincible. They don't seem to realise that they can be vulnarable. Same in many other mammals (humans included). Most male tigers killed by male brown bears were young adults. Although not much information was available, the evidence strongly suggested that they had been killed in lengthy fights. This means that they could have left the fight at some stage. Although their opponents were described as 'large' or 'very large', the young male tigers decided against it. Overconfidence is expressed in many ways. A lack of caution is one of them. Uporny didn't see it coming. Young adult male tigers need confidence in order to score a few points in life, but an all-out isn't the best way to get there. Not without experience. Confidence is a result of experience. This means that caution also is important: at times, you need to leave a fight in order to have a better chance another day. Male tiger 'Umarpani' could be an illustration. He was involved in many lengthy clashes for quite some time before he struck. When his day came, he was able to get a decisive advantage. Must have been a result of experience as well. And, maybe, strategy. The battle with his new opponent seems similar to the battles he had before in that he and his opponent often collide, but avoid an all-out. So far, no decision has been reached. Anyhow. Uporny is no more. As he was rehabilitated and collared when he was released into the wild, we know a lot about him. We know he mated and we also know the tigress had cubs last autumn. What we know, will be used in order to get to more insight. Last but not least, Uporny featured in a number of posts in this thread. He won't be forgotten. |
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