Expert: Malcolm B. Sullivan Date: 2/18/2008 Subject: Tigers population
Question Hi Malcolm
1. When could you say the that 290-306 kg siberian tigers were common? I am not really sure was it 20 yeras ago?
2. The Siberian Tigers population is today between 431-529 with 97-112 cubs. Thats alot of cubs and if many of them survive then of course the tiger population will rise. My question is how many of them do you think will survive? Is the death procent high? Do tiger cubs die often?
3. After the tiger the Jaguar is my favorite cat. I will buy a docomentary about jaguars but I dont know wich one. Do you know some good documentary that you could recomme2ttd?
Thanks for your time! Best regards/Tiger Lover
Answer Hi, Tiger
1- There are still large Siberian tigers. However, it is indeed likely that they were much more common some time ago not because they are getting smaller, but rather because they are getting scarcer, and many are murdered before they reach their top size.
20 years ago, however, the subspecies was in the brink of extinction and I donīt think many tigers got extremely big. The truth is, Siberian tigers have been critically endangered since the beginning of the XX century, but huge tigers have nonetheless appeared often, meaning that 290-300 kg tigers are not monster tigers or exceptional individuals; Siberian tigers just happen to grow bigger than other tiger subspecies.
2- About 50% of Siberian tiger cubs die before reaching the age of one, and of this 50%, 80% die because of humans, either directly or indirectly.
3- Sadly, there arenīt many documentaries about jaguars; these cats are very elusive and difficult to follow. However, I recommend "In Search of the Jaguar" from National Geographic, which follows the quest of Alan Rabinowitz (the man who managed to establish the first jaguar sanctuary in the world and has also worked on tiger conservation). I also recommend Alan's books. There are some other documentaries about jaguars such as "Haunt of the Jaguar", and the cat appears in "cameos" in almost all Amazonian jungle or Pantanal related documentaries, although never for a long time. The ultimate documentary on jaguars is still to be filmed.
