Animation Source Forums

I love Tigers. Especially Bengal Tigers.

Oh, wow. He is a beautiful tiger! I have only seen one at the zoo here, & I could tell it was unhappy, it was pale in colour, it's eyes were droopy & red, & it kept pacing back and forth. Hairball looks like he's happy there, & that's definatly a good thing. I remember once, when my class went on a feild trip, this bird [I think it was a flamingo] was 'stalking' us, & people were teasing it by putting their fingers in the bars, it bit one of them though. It was really cute though, for it to follow us everywhere. I wish I could go there & meet that tiger!

So, what did happen to them?


Was it a "golden" tiger, with yellowish base and brown stripes? Hence - a colouration anomaly - or was it a southern subspecies? (Such as a Sumatra tiger or Java tiger?)





And thanks for the compliments - I'll tell him how adorable he is

Yeah, sadly - that happens quite often (that they kill captive pantherines, I mean). Yet, that someone refuses giving the cats away to someone else who could have taken the care for them - that's really odd. Specially if the one would even pay for the cat.

So, what was the owner's reason to come to such action? Financial problems - or legal issues?

He looked kind of like "Hairball." Actually, exactly like him, he seemed really upset and pale, though.

I think [And am pretty sure] that it was a golden tiger, I should of asked. XD



Your welcome. I wish I could own a tiger, lol. It would probably eat me. XD

Nice.


Well, I don't own him. Even if I'd "own" him - I think it's something nobody should think or say... you can't "own" a living being... parents also don't "own" a kid. We're simply friends, and it was his free choice to spend that much time with me.

Of course - tigers are dangerous animals. But they're very intelligent as well. This means that they accept rules and make rules, by which a human and a tiger can live together. It's important that you understand their will, desires and language if you want to work with them... and... the most important is - that you have a deep friendship with them. Pantherines naturally fear mankind, and only a deep trust in each other allows us to be together without conflict. Technically, you can imagine a 3m long and 200kg weighing "domestic cat"... they have about the same longing for love, like to cuddle, communicate and play with you. If you've ever tried to catch wild or feral cats, you know how severely they "defend their life" against your will... or... I also believe that almost anyone who has a domestic cat already got bitten or scratched by her... it's kind of the same with big cats - just in their dimensions. What's truely more dangerous in them than in domestic cats, that's their size and power.

However... what truely fascinates me about them, that's their mental capability. They perfectly understand most of what you tell them and comment it with their typical moaning... they are perfectly aware what powers they have, and how fragile other animals/humans are... so that they play carefully with beings they consider being their friends. I believe - there's nothing that can go deeper than the friendship with a Pantherine - as such a relationship is based on enormous cohesive powers and serious matters. My mentor's life once got even defended by a lioness, his favored cat, against 2 siberian tigers that wanted to tackle him.

Ehhhh...it works moderatly. If the grass were dead and brown, you were facing the sun or just unattentive, it would work alot better.

On a different note, sounds like you've got a pretty cool job.

Actually, the fact that the grass is green makes it interesting. I chose the position to get his colouration in context with the stones... of course, I could have taken it with more grass, so that you'd see almost nothing of him. What this photo intends to show you, that's how nature cheats your eyes - imagine to walk by at the fence there... mostlikely you wouldn't even figure out that you're being watched by a predator that's "bigger" than you.


It's not exactly a "job" for me. I do it voluntarily, just like my efforts in conservation of wild animals.

I didn't really mean "own" one.. XD I just think it would be cool, or even a normal house-cat that had markings like a tiger, I just think their pretty, and that it would make a good guard for my house. XD



I never actually new any of that, & I was always afraid tigers. I guess that gives me a better understanding, thanks. The ones that I have seen at the Zoo were nothing close to 3metres long, maybe 1, or one and a half at the most.

How long do tigers usually live for? And how much space/room do they need? What do you guys feed them?





I noticed that, about them being careful, but I also watched this TV show that showed a bunch of tiger attacks, I wouldn't blame them for attacking the people, though, they were pretty mean to them, and I'm sure a human wouldn't like it if they were hit with one of those whips multiple times. I wouldnt.

That measurement is done with the tail and would perfectly fit a siberian tiger . Siberian tigers "can" grow to enormous dimensions. For example - there are weight records of wild males that had more than 300 kg (A regular weight for siberians would still be around 200 kg).


In the wild not much longer than domestic cats. Between 15 and 18 years. In captivity it's usually between 20 and 25 - but with excellent treatment and occupation (such as in our park) it may be up to 30 years. However - that requires that the cat hasn't been tortured or mistreated too much, before she gets to us.


Actually, in captivity we'll never be able to offer them the territories they deserve. In the wild they occupy territories of between 25 and 400 km2, always depending on where they live. Plus - unless they have young, wild tigers live a solitary life. Though - their behavioral pattern shifts when they're in captivity (as they don't need to hunt their food anymore) - they learn to like communities and to share their room with others, forming a social structure... which makes it possible keep them in the same habitat.

However - "space" is something that's always overrated by people... well, let's put it this way: the more room they have, the better it is. But what's essential in their life - that's occupation. In captivity they can't and don't need to hunt anymore - which results in boredom... and you can imagine that this can't really make them happy. Our practice is to occupy them, with 3 elements: "sports", changement of habitats and training for shows. The last one is only for those cats who like to do these shows... of course... it's a matter of talent, interest and not having fear from it - and no cats should be forced to do something they don't like.


12 kg meat per day... some great steaks an entire cow for all of them each day


Tigers never are "mean". They only make use of their weapons, if they're forced to defend themselves or to hunt for survival. But, what they're famous for, that's "Man-Eating". In connection to my studies on pantherines (which is why I'm finally working in the park now) I've written a nice article about that phenomenon: Man-Eating Behavior Among Big Cats

Eh, I dunno, I'm not really seeing the camo effect in the end...

What kind of zoo were you working for? It sounds like something pretty "private" to me... wouldn't organisations like animal control have to set an end to the guy's practices?

You are German, or just have your roots there? Then why don't we talk in German? Well, it's kind of disturbing to hear that such a relationship had to break up.


Outch... a throat-bite of a pantherine is never healthy. Although... I've never heard of animal trainers that punished their cats for such an accident, that would really be odd... like the guy wouldn't be the person everyone would expect him to be.


It depends on how it is done. If such a sequence is trained properly, it shouldn't be a problem. Though, I'm not a friend of "sensation seeking" shows. We prefer to show people what great capabilities the cats have, without provoking any dangerous situations. It's better for everyone - the cat and the trainer... and makes sure that the cats enjoy to do it too.