The Indo-Chinese Tiger, an Endangered Species
Wide-ranging but Low-Numbering, Indo-Chinese Tigers are Vanishing
Sep 29, 2009
Indo-Chinese tigers are wide in range but few in number. Found in six countries across southeast Asia, these tigers number between 736-1275, says the World Wildlife Federation (WWF). And over the next decade, their numbers will drastically decline without further conservation efforts
What is an Indo-Chinese Tiger?
The Indo-Chinese, Indochinese, or Corbett's tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is one of the larger, more powerful tiger sub-species. It is slightly smaller than a Bengal tiger. Males average 400 lbs. and nine feet long, while females average 260 lbs. and eight feet long. Like all tigers, Indo-Chinese tigers have retractable claws, padded feet, strong jaws, and canines larger than any other big cat's. Their tails are approximately three feet long.
The Indo-Chinese tiger's coat is usually a darker orange than the Bengal's but lighter than the Sumatran's. Its stripes are often narrower than the solid black stripes of other sub-species, sometimes no more than a row of spots or partially absent behind its front legs. Like all tigers, it has a white underbelly. Males have long whiskers, more prominent than females.
Indo-Chinese tigers are solitary creatures, each having its own territory. A male's territory may overlap with those of several females. Females raise cubs alone and teach them to hunt. These tigers can live more than 15 years in the wild.
Where Do Indo-Chinese Tigers Live?
Despite their name, Indo-Chinese tigers are most prominent in Thailand, according to the WWF. They are also found in southern China, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The tigers live in remote, thriving forests, access to which is often restricted, and in foothills and low mountain ranges serving as borders to their native countries.
What Do Indo-Chinese Tigers Eat?
Indo-Chinese tigers hunt most large mammals within their territories, including deer, wild boar, wild cattle, serow, gaur, banteng, and water buffalo. They also prey on smaller mammals, like porcupines and badgers, and have also been known to eat monkeys, birds, fish, and even reptiles.
Why are Indo-Chinese Tigers Endangered?
According to the WWF, the "key menace" facing Indo-Chinese tigers "is direct poaching of both tiger and its prey." All tiger sub-species have been hunted since ancient times. Per the WWF, "tigers are poisoned, shot, trapped and snared, and the majority of these animals are sought to meet the demands of a continuing illegal wildlife trade - which includes traditional Chinese medicine."
"It is thought the Indochinese tiger is disappearing faster than any other tiger sub-species with one tiger being killed each week by poachers," says Tigersincrisis.com. According to The Tiger Foundation, poaching is largely promoted by regressive economic situations in countries housing Indo-Chinese tigers:
"The animals simply offer too large and tempting an incentive on the black market for villagers who might otherwise be able to ignore the animals presence or at least tolerate its cohabitation. Those same economic forces often lead both individuals and governments to plunder the natural resources associated with Indo-Chinese tiger habitat, including forests, water supplies, and the prey on which the tigers feed."
Deforestation has done greater harm to Sumatran and South China tigers, Indo-Chinese tigers having vast, secluded habitats in particular countries. In Vietnam, warfare and human habitation have fragmented the tiger's habitat.
What can be Done to Protect Indo-Chinese Tigers?
The WWF believes that preserving particular tiger habitats and creating tiger reserves are the best methods to preserving the species. The organization "aims to establish and manage effective tiger conservation areas, reduce the poaching of tigers and their prey, eliminate the trade in tiger parts and products, create incentives that will encourage local communities and others to support tiger conservation, and build capacity for tiger conservation."
Certainly, habitat preservation is monumental toward Indo-Chinese tiger survival. However, reserves alone will not save the sub-species. Enforcement of anti-poaching laws is difficult but necessary. Alternative solutions to alleviate economic duress need to development, or economic incentives for wildlife protection should be considered.
The disturbingly high demand for tiger parts and the corresponding high value given to them needs to be eliminated. Governments should impose strict penalties not only on poachers, but all those involved in the trade of traditional medicines and other tiger products, from poacher to manufacturer to seller to purchaser.
The Indo-Chinese tiger is racing toward extinction. Unfortunately, governments of nations where these tigers roam lack the desire, the conviction, or the wherewithal (or all of the above) to preserve the sub-species. Wildlife conservation organizations, like the WWF, can only do so much and have thus far been unable to stop the Indo-Chinese tiger's decline. If not the southeast Asian governments, who else will step up to protect these animals from extinction? The unsettling answer may very well be, "no one."
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