Tiger hunting

Tiger hunting by George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, and his wife Mary in British India, 1903.

Tiger hunting is the capture and killing of tigers. Humans are the tigers' most significant predator, and illegal poaching is a major threat to the tigers. The Bengal tiger is the most common subspecies of tiger, constituting approximately 80% of the entire tiger population in Indian Sub-Continent,[1] and is endemic to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, and India. Tigers have mythological, cultural and religious significance in these countries.[2] Foreign invaders saw hunting of tigers as a symbol of masculinity and an adventurous sporting event.[3] It has been hunted in these countries for centuries. In 1924, the tiger population in Asia was estimated to be more than 100,000. However, within less than a hundred years, it had declined to fewer than 3,200.[4] Tigers have historically been a popular big game animal and has been hunted for prestige as well as for taking trophies. Extensive poaching has continued even after such hunting became illegal and legal protection was provided to the tiger. Now a conservation-reliant endangered species, the majority of the world's tigers live in captivity.[5] Tigers were once considered to be harder to hunt than lions, due to their habit of living alone in dense cover and not noisily asserting their presence with roars as often.[6]

  1. ^ Sir Joseph Fayrer (1875). The Royal Tiger of Bengal. London: J. & A. Churchill. OCLC 3733279. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  2. ^ Mohammed Ullah (5 December 2017). "Tigers in Different Culture and Folklore". Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  3. ^ Joseph Sramek (2006). ""Face Him like a Briton": Tiger Hunting, Imperialism, and British Masculinity in Colonial India, 1800-1875". Victorian Studies. 48 (4). Indiana University Press: 659–680. doi:10.2979/VIC.2006.48.4.659. JSTOR 4618910. S2CID 145632352. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Tiger Hunting in India 1924". National Geographic. 3 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Animals : Tigers". Vital Statistics. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Perry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).