Ranthambore Tigers

Half a century ago there were between 25,000 and 30,000 tigers in Asia. According to a report published in 1994 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) this number has fallen to between 5,000 and 7,400.

Tiger cubs are born blind and weigh only about 2 to 3 pounds (1 kg), depending on the subspecies. They live on milk for 6-8 weeks before the female begins taking them to kills to feed. Tigers have fully developed canines by 16 months of age, but they do not begin making their own kills until about 18 months of age. Often carries the Chinese mark of wang or king on the forehead.A powerful hunter with sharp teeth, strong jaws, and an agile body, the tiger is the largest member of the cat family (Felidae). It is also the largest land-living mammal whose diet consists entirely of meat. The tiger's closest relative is the lion. Without the fur, it is difficult to distinguish a tiger from a lion but the tiger is the only cat with striped fur.

Mysterious, powerful, majestic--the tiger stands tall in our imaginations.But, in truth, tigers are disappearing in the wild. Just a century ago, an estimated 100,000 tigers inhabited the forests of Asia. Now scarcely 6,000 remain, and soon this magnificent cat may only exist in zoos.Do tigers have a chance? Only if people living near reserves believe that a live tiger is more precious than a dead one.Tigers have round pupils and yellow irises (except for the blue eyes of white tigers). Due to a retinal adaptation that reflects light back to the retina, the night vision of tigers is six times better than that of humans