King of the Jungle

**Mad Aussie** · 04-23-2009, 05:53 AM

We learnt today that back in the 1920's there was an estimated 100,000 tigers in the wild. These days there are around 4000.
Every day around 4 or 5 tigers are killed for exotic medicines and the like. At that rate, in ten years ... tigers will be extinct in the wild.

To see these creatures in person, and know what I said above, is to understand what a blight on the earth humans have become!

Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin's zoo) collects funds and runs programs in areas where Tigers are still living wild, to help keep them alive. They also are starting a similar program for Gorilla's also.

**Barefoot** · 04-23-2009, 06:31 AM

We have a pair of Siberians here at Riverbanks Zoo, but they don’t lend themselves very well to any of the glass I have.

Nice captures.

**AntZ** · 04-23-2009, 07:00 AM

Nice shots MA.

**Greg_Nuspel** · 04-23-2009, 07:45 AM

My boys had the biggest laugh when they were young at our zoo when a Tiger sprayed a lady standing by their enclosure. She didn't seem to be enjoying it as much.

**Marko** · 04-23-2009, 09:30 AM

Really nice shots MA - love the barbed tongue in shot 2!

**Rinkdaddy** · 04-23-2009, 09:51 AM

The markings show up beautifully. They are amazing creatures. Nice work MA,

**casil403** · 04-23-2009, 10:58 AM

Great work MA....great tongue detail in #2!
I saw a doc one time at the Banff Mountain Film Festival on Siberian Man-eating tigers in Russia...quite graphic.
They sure are beautiful kitties though!