A Sumatran tigress (Panthera tigris sumatrae) at the Australia Zoo stops and does a 'stinky face'.

No, the tiger here isn't hissing, roaring or trying to be insulting, she has actually come across an interesting scent. That funny looking expression is caused by her lips being drawn back to expose a gland on the roof of the mouth called the 'Jacobson's organ'. That organ, which many animals have, helps decipher information from the scent such as the animal (like a fellow tiger), whether it is male or female and, quite importantly if the animal is receptive for reproduction. Since tigers are solitary animals, scent plays a critical role in designating territory and communicating to other tigers in the area. Tigers will leave scent marks in conspicuous areas like a prominent tree or bush to act as a sign-post. For males, scent could tell other males to keep out and for females it could be used to attract potential mates during estrus.

There are several tigers at the Australia Zoo which use a public enclosure on different days. As a result, one of the first things the tigers did when they entered the enclosure (from my own observations), was traverse the area and read the signals of the tigers that had been there previously. Afterwards, they left their own mark to stake their claim. Be it intentional or not, this is a form of enrichment that encourages natural behaviors in zoo animals and keeps them occupied and active.

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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 3,200 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://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/tigers/), never buy products made from tigers or endangered species (http://www.wildaid.org), and tell others. Contact me for more information.

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