Hunting
Tiger hunting on elephant-back, India, 1808The tiger has been one of the Big Five Game animals of Asia. Tiger hunting took place on a large scale in the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries, being a recognised and admired sport by the British in the colonial India as well as the maharajas and aristocratic class of the erstwhile princely states of pre-independence India. Tiger hunting was done by some hunters on foot; others sat up on machans with a goat or buffalo tied out as bait; yet others on elephant-back. In some cases, villagers beating drums were organized to drive the animals into the killing zone. Elaborate instructions were available for the skinning of tigers and there were taxidermists who specialised in the preparation of tiger skins.
Cultural Depictions
19th century painting of a tiger by Kuniyoshi UtagawaThe tiger replaces the lion as King of the Beasts in cultures of eastern Asia, representing royalty, fearlessness and wrath. It`s forehead marking which resembles a Chinese character which means "king"; consequently, many cartoon depictions of tigers in China and Korea are drawn with the "symbol" on their forehead.
World`s Favorite Animal
A Bengal tigress with her cubIn a poll conducted by Animal Planet, the tiger was voted the world`s favourite animal, more than 50,000 viewers from 73 countries voted in the poll.
There are many ways to save them from becoming extinct for at least more than 20 years! There are many little things you can do to help instead of paying something like $200 to some foundation. Currently, you can purchase stamps at the post office and a portion of the money will go towards all animals that are becoming extinct. But paying $200 works too. ;) Thanks for reading! Peace.
Info courtisy of http://www.wikipedia.com/
