Malaysian’s Pride

Hey folks!!What is your first impression when you hear the name TIGER?.eemm!!.Man eaters!!Fierce, Powerful, Brilliant stealth hunters, Merciless, and the list goes on!!..But hey these amazing creature plays an important role and is regarded highly in one country!!Do you know which country is that?..Yes our very own beloved country, Malaysia. Therefore we are going to discuss and share with you guys some information that you would like to know about the tiger. Do you know that tigers are the largest cat of all,(Panthera tigris) including lions, leopards and cheetahs.Wow.

                                                              Picture source: Myspace.com

 

Generally tigers are widely distributed throughout the Asia continent and are classified according to their species. So the tiger species which is endemic to our country is the Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni). The Malayan tiger is the national animal of Malaysia. It is regarded as the pride and symbol of strength in Malaysia. We Malaysians have got great respect and love for these magnificent creature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                              

                                                                               

                                                              Picture source.wildasia.org

 

Since the characteristics of a tiger is highly regarded and admired, a tiger is depicted in the coat arm of Malaysia, symbolizing the government, and appears in various heraldry of Malaysian institutions such as Royal Malaysian Police, Maybank, Proton and Football Association of Malaysia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It symbolizes bravery and strength to Malaysians. It is also the nickname for the Malaysian Football team. The tiger has been given various nicknames by Malaysians, notably “Pak Belang,” which literally means “Uncle Stripes.”

                                                   Picture source: Ortigas.typepad.com

 

Habitat and Diet

Since it’s the top predator of  food chain,Tigers are generally carnivores(meat eaters). Therefore the devour especially on smaller mammals, like deer, boars, goats and also poultry birds. Due to their agility, speed, stealthy attacks and enormous strength, it makes them one of the most fearsome predators of all time. In Malaysia, they are distributed. Tigers in Malaysia are found mainly found in Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, and Pahang. There are no tigers in the east Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. This magnificent creature is widely distributed throughout Peninsular Malaysia except for islands and certain small states such as Perlis, Penang, and Malacca.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                     

 

                                      Picture sources : tigerworldnews & the telegraph.uk

 

Mating season happens throughout the year, although it has been suggested that tiger reproduction, in Peninsular Malaysia, might have a seasonal peak around November to March. Female tigers reach maturity when they are about 3 years old, a year ahead of males.

                                    Picture source: Derek Dammann,Cincinati Zoo,USA

 

 

Relatives of the Malayan tiger.

The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent

                                           Picture source: true wildlife.blogspot

 

The Indochinese tiger or Corbett’s tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is a subspecies of tiger found in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam and formerly in China.

                          Picture source:themettcomplexion.wordpress.com

 

The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra and has been classified as critically endangered.

                                                    Picture source: tiger-pictures .net

 

Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Amur tiger, is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly the Sikhote Alin mountain region with a small sub population in southwest Primorye province in the Russian East.

                                               Picture source:gotpetsonline.com

 

The South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) is a tiger subspecies that was native to the provinces in southern China, and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN since 1996.

                                                             Picture source: thebizzare.com

 

Sadly the exploitation of tiger is exponentially raising to an alarming stage.Tigers are being hunted and killed brutally by unscrupulous poachers who are so obsessed with money unaware of the damage their causing to the environment.Tigers have a great demand among mankind as a source for medicinal purposes,delicacy and super natural beliefs.There is a whole underground black market with enormous networks distributed across the globe operating these multi million dollar ‘tiger business’. Whats the fate of our tigers then?

Have a look!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                         

 

                                               

                                 Picture sources: dailymail.uk.com &bushwarriors.com

 

 

Traditional believes which are still practiced till today using tiger body parts are:

• The tail of the tiger is sometimes ground and mixed with soap to create an ointment for use in treating skin cancer.
• The bones found in the tip of the tiger’s tail are said to ward off evil spirits.
• Crushed tiger bones added to wine serve as a Taiwanese general tonic.
• The feet of a tiger, when dipped in palm oil and hung in front of a door, are said to diminish the likelihood of evil spirits from entering.
• Tiger’s skin is said to cure a fever caused by ghosts. To use it effectively, the user must sit on the tiger’s skin, but beware. If too much time is spent on the tiger’s skin, legend says the user will become a tiger.
• Adding honey to the gallstones and applying the combination to the hands and feet is said to effectively treat abscesses.
• Burnt tiger hair can allegedly drive away centipedes
• Mixing the brain of a tiger with oil and rubbing the mixture on your body is an alleged cure for both laziness and acne.
• Rolling the eyeballs into pills is an alleged remedy for convulsions.
• The whiskers are used to cure toothaches.
• One will allegedly possess courage and shall be protected from sudden fright by wearing a tiger’s claw as a piece of jewellery or carrying one in a pocket.
• Strength, cunning, and courage can allegedly be obtained by consuming a tiger’s heart.
• Floating ribs of a tiger are considered a good luck talisman.
• The tiger’s penis is said to be an aphrodisiac.
• Small bones in a tiger’s feet tied to a child’s wrist are said to be a sure cure for convulsions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                        

 

                                                               

                                         Picture source: Tigerblogfest 2010

 

 

 

 

Modern medicine research have found that

• Tiger claws: used as a sedative for insomnia

• Teeth: used to treat fever

• Fat: used to treat leprosy and rheumatism

• Nose leather: used to treat superficial wounds such as bites

• Tiger bone: used as an anti-inflammatory drug to treat rheumatism and arthritis, general weakness, headaches, stiffness or paralysis in lower back and legs and dysentery

• Eyeballs: used to treat epilepsy and malaria

• Tail: used to treat skin diseases

• Bile: used to treat convulsions in children associated with meningitis

• Whiskers: used to treat toothaches

• Brain: used to treat laziness and pimples

• Penis: used in love potions such as tiger soup, as an aphrodisiac

• Dung or feces: used to treat boils, hemorrhoids and cure alcoholism

 

                                                            Picture source : MYCAT

 

Conservation statues.

Tigers are currently listed as “Endangered” on the International Union of the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the world’s largest cat, and it is also the most threatened with extinction. As recently as 100 years ago, there were as many as 100,000 wild tigers living in Asia. Today, fewer than 3,200 remain.

Six subspecies of tigers continue to persist, but three have gone extinct in the last 80 years.

The existing subspecies are the Bengal, Indochinese, Sumatran, Amur, Malayan, and the South-China subspecies (although no signs of the South-China subspecies have been recorded in the wild in the last 10 years).

 

Extinct Species

The three extinct subspecies include the Javan (last recorded in the 1970’s), Caspian (lost in the 1950’s) and the Bali subspecies (lost in the 1930’s). These tigers were eradicated from the face of earth due to uncontrolled poaching.

Javaness Tiger!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                        

                                      Picture sources :Petermaas & Tropenmuseum

 

 

Caspian tiger!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                  

                                                                           

                                                               

                                                  Picture sources :www.tiger.ca. & nfwf.org

 

 

Balinese tiger!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                          

 

                                                        

                                                

                                               Picture source: www.uwec.edu & its nature.org.

 

Therefore I have to say that it is in our hands to determine the fate of these amazing creatures.We were given the special ability by God to administer the world to live harmoniously among humans and other living organisms,in order to preserve and reserve the beauty of mother nature from further damage and extinctions.So please stop poaching in order for our younger generation to witness the greatness and legacy of the TIGER.

 

 

 

 

                                

 

                                          Picture source:travelinthailand.org & conferenceofbirds.net

 

 

STOP THE KILLINGS!LOVE THE TIGER!!SAVE THE TIGER!!

Posted in Mammals