This is Myka, an Amur tigress (Panthera tigris altaica) who lived with Tekhan and Tatiana at Jungle Cat World. She was 20 years old when she died, which (considering tigers live to 15-20 years in captivity) is quite old. She was beginning to show signs of slowing down, but she did okay. I didn't really know her very well for quite a while. She tended to stay back, away from people. However, I had one experienced that made me connect with her.

One day in the dead of winter, Myka spotting me coming towards her enclosure. She was the only one outside the den and was patrolling the perimeter of her territory. She stopped, turned around, stared me down and slowly made her way to where I was. She paused at a pile of deep snow near the fence, but proceeded to step into the deep snow to get as close as possible, until her face was at the barrier. She let out some of the deepest chuffs I have ever heard and moaned a bit. She never took her eyes off of mine, which would have been rather frightening if she had not of stated her friendly intentions - her eyes are like daggers. She then returned to her business of patrolling with a slow limp. It was special, considering how I had not really "talked" with her before and knew how she was getting quite old. I had never really had the opportunity to admire how beautiful she was. The whole experience - the way their eyes stare right into you while they vocalize - is the type of thing I live for. I am trying not to dramatize it, but it really was surreal. Then again, tigers tend to have that effect on me.

I’m a little sad to think about how she is gone, but that is life. I am just happy I got to be a part of it, at least for a few great experiences and being able to help take care of her at the zoo.

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Tigers are the largest of the big cats and are exclusively found in Asia from India to Vietnam, from Indonesia to the Russian Far East. The tiger can be divided into 9 subspecies: 4 are currently critically endangered and 3 are already extinct. Though estimations of tiger populations only a few years ago was 5,500-6,000, today populations are likely closer to 3,500 and are still declining. Dramatic declines of the tiger in India, thought to host the majority of the world’s tigers, have fallen to less than 1,411. Overall, the past decade has seen a 40% reduction in tiger habitat, which now represents a mere 7% of its historic range. Poaching is a significant problem throughout the tiger’s range, the demand for its body parts in traditional medicines, tonics, and exotic dishes driving a lucrative trade that is wiping out entire populations. Long-term threats include habitat fragmentation and prey depletion, which is accelerating the tiger’s demise and subsequently reducing the long-term genetic viability of many populations.

If you want to help, the best for you to do is to educate yourself (http://www.savethetigerfund.org), never buy products made from tigers or endangered species (http://www.wildaid.org), and tell others. Contact me for more information.