About Tigers Habitat
A tiger's habitat is dependant on two basic factors. Firstly, it should provide
good cover for stalking and secondly, it should have a good abundance of prey.
Due to this, the tigers' domain covers almost every corner of India. It is found
in the lower Himalayan mountainous regions of the northern states of Uttar Pradesh
and Uttaranchal. Although not as easy to sight due to the dense forests or the
north eastern region, it's presence can definitely be felt from the alarmed
calls of the rest of the animals.
Habitats - Tigers started their survival journey in the cold
northern latitudes and traveled south. In the process they were forced to adapt
themselves to diverse climatic and environmental conditions. In the Indian sub-continent
they have adapted to sub-tropical forests, arid landscapes and mangrove swamps.
The main requirements are sufficient prey base, adequate cover and minimum human
inter-action. It is not a necessity that all these ingredients are present in
every tiger range. For example, the tigers of the Sunderban mangrove swamps
in India have a poor prey base so they have included humans in their menu!
Habits - Jim Corbett described the tiger as a large hearted
gentleman. That he surely is under normal conditions. Women who frequently enter
the forests to gather forest produce told me that when they inadvertently got
close to a tiger they were given a warning in the form of a low growl. On the
other hand when they suddenly came face to face with a tiger they quickly moved
off the path and stood with folded hands chanting a silent prayer! The tiger
would pass them without a glance in their direction. My own experience is that
a tiger that sees or hears you first will conceal itself and observe you. Tigers
prefer to use well trodden tracks or dry riverbeds-the best way to locate pugmarks
is to look on the route you would follow If the tiger realises he has been seen
it will ignore you and continue what it is doing. When it does not want to leave
its location it will give a warning growl. I have heard three different types
of aggressive growls; the first is a very deep low growl (almost like a purr)
that one may miss in the background of any other sort of noise such as clothes
brushing against bushes or the sound of footsteps. The second growl emitted
when the intruder is closer is an unmistakably audible growl. The third is a
mighty roar accompanied by a charge!
Tigers on the `
Kill' - The way a tiger kills its prey has been
well documented. However, young animals make many more attempts to bring down
their prey than mature ones have come across innumerable domestic animals that
have been mauled by young tigers. The most common form of attack in these cases
was from the rear. In a few cases the tiger got onto the back of the prey and
was shaken off. All this was evident from the location and type of wounds inflicted
by the claws and teeth. In such cases of mauling the unfortunate owners cauterized
the wound with a hot iron or stuffed red chilies into the wound. The chances
of the animal surviving even a mild mauling are minimal, but this was mainly
due to a lack of proper medical treatment.
