[FEL-L] Re: Felines-L Digest, Vol 18, Issue 3

Wed Dec 5 12:34:00 CST 2007

Alex, thank you for sharing what you read in your book.  The book apparently went into more detail than the television documentary.  You also mentioned man "killing" leopards, etc., but these snadabar tigers are the only ones I've heard of that kill and then go on to actually eat human flesh.  (maybe I didn't pay close enough attention but I've watched the TV documentary more than once and I do not believe they explained this phenomen as well as the book you read).  Thanks for sharing.

glo

 Gloria Noble Johnson
Cougar Ridge Educational Center
www.cougar-ridge.org

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From: felines-l-request at catbox.com
To: felines-l at catbox.com
Sent: Wed, 5 Dec 2007 1:00 pm
Subject: Felines-L Digest, Vol 18, Issue 3

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oday's Topics:
   1. Re: Maneating Tigers (lynxmond at aol.com)

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
ate: Tue, 04 Dec 2007 21:01:42 -0500
rom: lynxmond at aol.com
ubject: Re: [FEL-L] Maneating Tigers
o: felines-l at catbox.com
essage-ID: <8CA04F9EA2B6FEF-A8C-F3D at Webmail-mg18.sysops.aol.com>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

 Hi Gloria,

from what I have read in a couple of exotic cat books, experts do have some idea 
n that topic. According to these articles, most incidents of maneating tigers 
re happening in an area called the "Sundabars". It is a mostly swampy area, and 
ot the best hunting ground for tigers. They can survive there, but compared to 
heir normally preferred habitats, it is a borderline habitat. Limited hunting 
uccess allows only few tigers, the strongest and fittest ones, to get enough 
ood by hunting deer or boars. Younger tigers or older or sick ones, who are not 
ble to keep and defend their territory against other tigers are pushed towards 
he borders of the Sunderbars, where human settlements are getting dense. There, 
he tigers find easier prey like cattle and hoofstock and are getting 
ccoustomed to the smell of humans and losing their fear of humans. Humans also 
ery often enter the forrest and the swampy area in search for firewood, fishing 
r e.g. collecting honey from wild bee!
s. Once the hunger of the tiger becomes stronger then itÂ´s fear of humans, and 
hen a good possibility arises, then the tiger will try to hunt a human. To 
hem, itÂ´s easy prey, because humans canÂ´t flee as fast as the usual prey and 
umans are less carefull when walking through the forrest. A tiger could hide 
ust 6 feet away from them and they wouldnÂ´t recognice it. So the combination 
f very limited access to food, (relatively) high tiger population, limited 
iving space and very high human population surrounding that area causes a high 
robability for a tiger to become a maneater. And itÂ´s not only tigers, who 
urn into maneaters... there are also enough reports of leopards attacking and 
illing children and men.  To protect forrest workers from tigers, people 
ntering the forrest are adviced to to wear a mask on their hind-heads. This 
ask looks like a human face. Sounds funny at first, I know, but tigers almost 
lways attack from behind. When discovered before the!
y started their ambush, tigers usually retreated. And according to som
 articles I have read, the masks really seem to work, since the tigers cannot 
eally distinguish between a real face and the mask and are never sure if they 
re observed or not. I read about an incident, where a couple of forrest workers 
ere wearing those masks and nothing happened, until one of them took off the 
ask. As they continued their way into the forrest, after only a couple of 
ards, this man was getting attacked by a tiger and only survived because his 
oworkers came by and attacked the tiger. He had severe bitewounds in his neck 
nd hind head. What this shows is, that as good as these masks seem to work, 
eople have to use them. But another question is, how long these masks will be 
ble to fool tigers. 

 Hope I could help a bit.
Alex.

-----UrsprÃ¼ngliche Mitteilung----- 
Von: lance at light-tech.com <lance at light-tech.com>
An: felines-l at catbox.com
Verschickt: Di., 4. Dez. 2007, 15:41
Thema: Re: [FEL-L] Maneating Tigers

If I was a tiger in India I would be able to prevent myself from finding out if
they tasted like delicious Curry.  Judging from it not being an isolated 
incident
I'm willing to bet they do! :)

On Mon Dec  3 19:08 , gjpanthergirl at aol.com sent:

>I've not posted before on Felines-L so I'm not sure this is where members will
get to read my comments.  However, here is my observation and question.  Tiger
owners, experts,  handlers and even the general public (some of them) are aware
by now that the phenomen of the unusual band of tigers in India which have
actually become maneaters is unusual, abnormal, and as yet, not understood.  I
would like to hear opinions on how you think this small band would affect the
usual uninformed public about tigers generally, and if you have an opinion 
(which
the "experts" don't even seem to understand), why this small group has taken to
such abnormal behavior as other tiger species.
>
>glo
>
>
>
>
>
> Gloria Noble Johnson
>
>Cougar Ridge Educational Center
>
>www.cougar-ridge.org
>
>
>More new features than ever.  Check out the new AOL Mail!
>

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