Tiger Species: Part 6

The Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)
So, the final of all surviving 6 species of the tiger is the Indochinese Tiger. And as we learnt yesterday, the Malayan tiger was once thought to be the same as the Indochinese tiger. As much as they are similar, they both have different stories.

This species of the tiger also known as Corbett's tiger was named after the British hunter-turned conservationist, Jim Corbett. Now this here is an interesting twist of events! In the early 1900s, Corbett, a Colonel in the British Army, and a great hunter, was summoned to India on many occasions to assist in hunting down tigers and leopards that were attacking villagers. Though he was initially involved in hunting these ''problematic'' cats down, he dedicated most of his life and career in raising support for environmental and animal conservation movements. Thus, it was in honor of his work, that this tiger was named after him. Now, isn't that just awesome.

A full grown male weighs an average of 330-430 pounds while the females weigh about 290 pounds. They also grow to be 8-10 feet in length. The stripes on this tiger are much narrower compared to other species and their coats are a vibrant orange.

This tiger is found in Myanmar, Laos, Southern China, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Sadly, these tigers have retreated to isolated mountainous areas due to habitat loss caused by humans invading their habitats. Unfortunately, not much research has been able to be done on this creature and little is known about them overall as they are known to live along borderlines making reaching them quite difficult.As a result, much is still yet to be learned about their status in the wild.

There are roughly 350 of these tigers in the wild and are currently categorized as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. These tigers face threats from humans as they continue to venture into their habitats. They are also constantly under threat as their body parts are used to make Chinese traditional medicine that they believe has kept their people alive for centuries...there is no changing their mind is there? Still, how sad is it that no Indochinese tiger has been seen in the wild in China since 2007?

In fact, WWF sounded the alarm for this tiger in 2010 as their population had fallen by more than 70% in slightly more than a decade. Still, many efforts to protect these tigers in their natural habitats are underway. Other programs are in the forefront of ensuring their genetic pool is made stronger for breeding purposes. All these efforts, by so many people the world over, gives me hope that the next generation will get to see and not read about the great tiger in story books!