Lions, cheetahs, tigers, lynxes, leopards and jaguars are wild cats, dangerous predators who have always admired and aroused the genuine interest of a wide circle of people with their grace, gentle proud tread and a peculiar cat disposition. One of the representatives of the species - the lion, deservedly acquired the title - the king of beasts. And in honor of another, International Tiger Day is celebrated (July 29).
Holiday purpose
International Tiger Day was not established by chance. The purpose of the event was to attract as much as possible people's attention to the issue of the extinction of this species, the conservation of animals and the increase in their population.
In addition to the International Tiger Day, in our country in the Far East there is another holiday that is customary to be held in the end dates of September. On this day, various relevant exhibitions are organized, zoos are visited, charity events and other thematic gatherings are held.
history of the holiday
International Tiger Day is held on July 29 every year since its inception in 2010. Celebrate this holiday almost the weight of the world. And our country did not stand aside. International Tiger Day was also celebrated in 2017. The official establishment of the holiday itself and the appointment of the date was adopted at the Tiger Summit International Forum in St. Petersburg, which was devoted to the topic of reducing the number of tigers, events and methods of their protection, where this day was chosen to celebrate.
The countries participating in this large-scale event initiated the organization of the International Tiger Day. Only those states directly belong to them, on the expanses of which wild cats live. Through lengthy negotiations, important documents were approved, which play a large role in the process of saving tigers, preserving and increasing their numbers, and a day was appointed when the International Tiger Day will be celebrated around the world. It is estimated that favorable outcomes can be expected by 2022.
How is this day celebrated?
The most common tradition is to celebrate this holiday with trips to the zoo, where animals are fed a double portion of treats. Thanks to the efforts of the international association Global Tiger Initiative, animals that are outside of civilization, that is, living in a natural environment, are able to maintain or even increase their population. With great efforts, the association raised a colossal amount to preserve and adequately maintain the life of this species - $ 350 million.
Tiger Day in Russia
In the Primorsky Territory of our country, the celebration of the Day of the Far Eastern Tiger is celebrated a little longer, since 2000. The tiger is depicted on the emblem of the city of Vladivostok. Therefore, it was decided to create a regional feast dedicated to the wild cat.
In honor of the International Tiger Day, various kinds of mornings are sometimes held in the kindergarten, the audience of which is usually parents. Children wear costumes of these wild cats. And they arrange a very interesting event, where they read poems about the International Tiger Day.
Tiger - the second "king" after the lion
The name of the tiger comes from the word taig, which in ancient Persian translates, like an arrow, the speed of running. Hence the name of the majestic tabby cat. There are many varieties of tigers, including Bengal, Amur, Caspian and South China wild cats known to us. All of them belong to the genus Panther. Unfortunately, some species could not be saved on time, and they disappeared from our planet. There are animals that need help and are on the verge of extinction, such as the Bengal subspecies. Tiger hunting is prohibited.
The dimensions of this beast are quite impressive and reach about two to three meters in length and it weighs more than 3 centners. Only a white or brown bear can compete with him in power and slightly exceeds its size. And if you compare the tiger with its counterparts, then it is in no way inferior to a lion, leopard, jaguar or leopard. Despite the fact that all these species belong to the Feline family, they do not know how to meow, but only growl.
Nature rewarded tigers with special beauty. The wild cat is painted in bright colors, from yellow to dark red. Belly, throat and chest are white. The tiger's eyes are also yellow. There are also beautiful tigers, fully painted white. Their number is not numerous. These animals are beautiful: blue eyes and black stripes on a snow-white body.
The habitat of large and graceful cats is considered to be the Far Eastern countries and India. Not so long ago, their habitat was much wider, extending to Iran, Indochina, Transcaucasia. But human activity there completely destroyed these animals.
The tiger is a lone animal. He mercilessly and bravely guards his territory. The tiger feeds preferably on fresh raw meat. To do this, he hunts small or medium-sized ungulates, for example, roe deer, wild boars. A rare case on his menu could be a monkey or an alligator. If the predator is very hungry, then it will not disdain carrion.
Breeding tigers is independent of seasons and environmental conditions. The main factor is the onset of estrus in the female. The pregnancy of the tigress lasts several months and brings posterity to four cubs.
What not everyone knows about tigers
Undoubtedly, wild cats are clearly different from their domesticated relatives.
- Tigers' vision at night can be envied, it exceeds the sharpness of human eyes six times.
- Through the urine of their own kind, tigers receive information such as gender, age, and the state of the reproductive system. The same liquid helps the animal to mark the territory and boundaries of its habitat. Surprisingly, the smell of tiger urine is similar to that of oiled popcorn.
- Chic tiger males are true gentlemen. In the process of hunting, they are first of all inferior to the killed victim to females and cubs, and only after them start prey.
- An interesting fact associated with the stripes of tigers is that the stripes on the forehead of the animal resemble the Chinese symbol “king”. Not many people know that even a bald tiger will remain striped, as the skin of a wild cat preserves, as if copying, a pattern.
Tigers can trick: reproducing the voices of other animals, they lure the victim during the hunt. And they have the ability to mate and increase offspring with other species of the Cat family, with the exception of royal lions.
There are also little-known to us black, red, white and even blue tigers. And all of them need our protection. Perhaps on International Tiger Day, those who exterminate animals for a beautiful trophy will think about it.
Population reduction
An important problem at the moment is the extinction and destruction of the population of these magnificent animals, the violation of their usual habitat. The tiger population is rapidly declining. About 6500 individuals of this species remain on our planet, of which Amur is only 450, and South China is only 30. Tigers found shelter in China, India, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos.
Animal life protection
Unfortunately, due to mass extinction and frequent cases of poaching, tigers are listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In 1947, hunting was completely banned, and since 1955 a ban was also established on the capture of their offspring. The number of individuals is sharply reduced due to hunting. Animals are killed for the sake of skins, internal organs used in oriental medicine, for example, for the manufacture of painkillers and aphrodisiacs by Chinese craftsmen, which is prohibited and punishable by Chinese law.
A positive effect was achieved by his speech by the Dalai Lama XIV in 2006 at the festival of Buddhist pilgrims. After that, many visitors to the festival began to throw out the skins of dead tigers and even things with tiger-colored ornaments.
Poaching, violation of habitual living conditions of tigers affected their numbers. Over a hundred years, the number of individuals decreased from 100,000 to 3,500 tigers, ready to bring offspring. The salvation was the keeping of animals in specially created reserves, zoos. The largest number of tigers lives in India. About 350 tigers are in captivity.
The public plays a big role in protecting and preserving animals. The governments of all the countries where they live make great efforts to preserve and protect these animals: laws are adopted, state programs are involved in various organizations to achieve this goal. And congratulating the tiger on International Day in honor of him is one of them.