BENGEAL TIGERS
 The
wild Bengal tiger is the largest found tiger in India. The
World Conservation Union Cat Specialist Group has estimated
between 3,250 - 4,700 Bengal tigers in the Indian sub-continent.
There are 66 different protected zones for the Bengal tigers
in India. There are 3 protected zones for Bengal tigers
in Nepal inhabiting around 150-250 tigers, 4 protected areas
in Bhutan housing 50-250 tigers, 3 protected areas in Bangladesh
housing 300-450 tigers. The number of wild Bengal tigers
in Myanmar is unknown.
Bengal tigers have been captivated in zoos since 1880.
The first zoo in India to provide habitat to the tigers
was the Alipore Zoo in Calcutta. They have been bred so
successfully in captivity that there are astonishingly high
captive Bengals today. Many are sent to sanctuaries to live
out their lives. The International Tiger Studbook says the
total captive population of pure- bred (there has been a
lot of crossing of pure Bengals with tigers of unknown descent)
Bengal tigers is 333. Of those 333, 289 have the orange
color typical of tigers and the remaining 44 are white.
All of the pure strain captive Bengal tigers are housed
in zoos in India except for 1 pure strain female Bengal
tiger that is housed in the United States.
Distribution of the species
The Bengal Tiger or Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris
tigris) is a subspecies of tiger found through the rainforests
and grasslands of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, India
and Nepal. These tigers are also found in Siberia, Manchuria
and the Asian continent. It is the largest living member
of the Felidae family. Its fur is orange-brown with black
stripes. Male Bengal Tigers are up to 10 ft (3 m) long.
Females are up to 9 ft (2.7 m) long. They hunt deer, pigs,
antelopes, cattle, young elephants, and buffalo. The Bengal
Tiger is now strictly protected, and is the national animal
of both India and Bangladesh.
Habitat & Diet
 The
tiger lives in varied habitats open jungles, humid evergreen
forests and mango grove swamps. Its diet consists mainly of
deer, antelopes, gaurs and wild pigs. Sometimes it also captures
birds, lizards, turtles, fishes, frogs and crabs. Tigers hunt
on their own and usually lead a solitary existence, each in
its own territory. They are endowed with good swimming power
but seldom climb trees.
Breeding & Genetic
variation
Breeding of tigers are done very carefully in many zoological
gardens. The newborns are genetically different due to genetic
recombination. This feature is known as genetic variation.
It is an important component for a living being to adopt itself
in the nature. These genetic variations help them to fight
against any odds.
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