HSD: Last wild Tiger will die within 15 years

Those who know are telling us that it is too late to save the tiger and that the last tiger in-the-wild will die within the next 15 years. After that the only remaining tigers will be those in zoos and other captivity. Already there are more tigers in captivity in America than there are remaining in the wild in the whole world.

While lions are considered the king of cats there are a lot of facts that really point to tigers as the ultimate cat. Consider the following:

• Tigers are the largest of all the big cats and can weight up to 300 kilograms.
• Tigers have a large brain and have amazing memory. Of the non-human meat eating carnivores only the polar bear has a bigger brain.
• A tiger’s short-term memory is at least 500 times better than the family dog’s memory and lasts about 30 times longer than a human’s short term memory.
• Tigers are one of only two breeds of big cats that like the water and will seek out water to play in. Tigers will dive into rivers to cross them and have been known to swim up to five kilometres.
• Tigers are the ‘nicest’ of the large cats when it comes to social etiquette. Tigers will generally share a kill with a stranger happening by, and typically—although they generally hunt and kill alone—male tigers let the females and cubs eat first; unlike male lions.
• At full speed a tiger can reach 65 kph and cover eight yards (24 feet) in a single full-speed bound.
• From a standing start a tiger can leap five yards (15 feet).
• Unlike domestic cats, tigers are not nocturnal and cannot see as well in the dark as a domestic cat—however they can see much better in the dark than a human (about five times better).
• A female tiger is only fertile for about five days in the entire year. During these five days she has to try and encounter and successfully mate with a male.