Indochinese tiger
| Indochinese tiger Vietnamese: Hổ Đông Dương Thai: เสือโคร่งอินโดจีน | |
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| Subspecies: | P. tigris corbetti
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| Panthera tigris corbetti Mazák, 1968
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| Distribution of the Indochinese Tiger (in red) | |
The Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is a tiger subspecies found in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and southwestern China that has been classified as endangered by IUCN. Its status is poorly known but the extent of its recent decline is serious, approaching the threshold for critically endangered.[1]
Panthera tigris corbetti, also called Corbett's tiger, was named in honour of Jim Corbett.[2]
Tigers in peninsular Malaysia, formerly classified as Indochinese, have recently been reclassified as a separate subspecies, Malayan tiger Panthera tigris jacksoni. No Indochinese tigers have been seen in China since 2007, and it is believed that the last specimen there was killed and eaten by a man now sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment for the crime.[3]
Characteristics
Male Indochinese tigers measure 2.55 to 2.85 metres (8.37 to 9.35 ft) in length, weigh 150 to 195 kilograms (330 to 430 lb); the skull measures between 319 to 365 millimetres (13 to 14 in) in length. The average male Indochinese tiger is approximately 2.74 m (9 ft) long and weighs about 181 kg (400 lb). Large individuals can weigh up to 227 kg (500 lb).
Female Indochinese tigers measure 2.30 to 2.55 m (7.55 to 8.37 ft) in length, weigh 100 to 130 kg (221 to 287 lb), with a skull length of 275 to 311 mm (11 to 12 in). The average female Indochinese tiger is approximately 2.44 m (8 ft) in length and weighs about 115 kg (253 lb).
Habitat
Indochinese tigers live in secluded forests in hilly to mountainous terrain, the majority of which lies along the borders between countries. Entrance to these areas is frequently restricted and as of late biologists have been granted limited permits for field surveys. For this reason, comparatively little is known about the status of these big cats in the wild. Mother tigers give birth to two or three cubs at a time. [citation needed]
Diet
Indochinese tigers prey mainly on medium- and large-sized wild ungulates. Sambar deer, wild pigs, serow, and large bovids such as banteng and juvenile gaur comprise the majority of Indochinese tiger’s diet. However, in most of Southeast Asia large animal populations have been seriously depleted because of illegal hunting, resulting in the so-called “empty forest syndrome” – i.e. a forest that looks intact, but where most wildlife has been eliminated.[4][5] Some species, such as the kouprey and Schomburgk's Deer, are extinct, and Eld's Deer, hog deer and wild water buffalo are present only in a few relict populations. In such habitats tigers are forced to subsist on smaller prey, such as muntjac deer, porcupines, macaques and hog badgers. Small prey by itself is barely sufficient to meet the energy requirements of a large carnivore such as the tiger, and is insufficient for tiger reproduction. This factor, in combination with direct tiger poaching for traditional Chinese medicine, is the main contributor in the collapse of the Indochinese tiger throughout its range.[6]
Population and threats
According to government estimates of national tiger populations, the subspecies population numbers around a total of 350 individuals. More than half of the total population is found in the Western Forest Complex in Thailand, especially in the area of the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary.[1] All existing populations are at extreme risk from poaching, prey depletion due to poaching of deer and wild pigs, habitat fragmentation and inbreeding. In 2009 the last known wild Indochinese tiger in China was killed and eaten by nearby villagers from the village of Mengla.[7]
In Vietnam, almost three-quarters of the tigers killed provide stock for Chinese pharmacies. Tigers are seen by poor natives as a resource through which they can ease poverty.
The tiger's numbers will be difficult to increase unless residents can view a live tiger as more valuable than a dead one. Some are starting to realize this and are hoping to use the tiger as a draw for ecotourism.
References
- ^ a b c Template:IUCN
- ^ Mazak, V. (1968). Novelle Sous-espèce de Tigre provenant de l’Asie du sud-est. Mammalia 32 (1): 104–112. DOI: 10.1515/mamm.1968.32.1.104
- ^ John R. Platt Man convicted for killing and eating China’s last Indochinese tiger. Scientific American. December 25, 2009
- ^ "Asia's biodiversity vanishing into the marketplace".
- ^ "Wildlife trade creating "empty forest syndrome" across the globe".
- ^ Karanth, K.U., Stith, B.M. 1999: Prey depletion as a critical determinant of tiger population viability. In: Seidensticker/ Christie/ Jackson: Riding The Tiger: Tiger Conservation in human-dominated landscapes. Cambridge University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-521-64835-1
- ^ Le, Yu and Lucy Hornby (December 22, 2009). "Man jailed for eating rare tiger in China". Reuters.com.