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Bengal Tiger |
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The tiger prowls silently and solemnly through the rain forests of India. They will eat anything that is put in their path, like Water Buffalo and monkeys. As the tiger prowls through the rain forests, he sees his enemy the leopard and creeps around it. The tiger then sees a goat and pounces on it with its 500 pound body. He got lucky because the chances of a tiger getting its prey is 1 in 20. Did you know Asian cultures worshipped the tiger as a god because of its strength and ability to inspire fear. Did you know a tiger's fur is worth 15,000 dollars and its bones and other parts are worth even more money! Did you know the tiger walks backwards into the water to keep an eye out for predators? Did you know the tiger can roar but can't purr because of a special cartilage in the back of their neck? The tiger is endangered mainly because of poachers. In 1994 poachers killed one tiger a month. Research facilities put tags on their neck to keep track of them. They have also made small isolated parks for breeding in captivity. One thing they're still trying to stop is habitat destruction. People move into the rain forests and cut down trees to make a place for their home to be. That forces the tigers and thousands of other animals leave their natural habitat and go somewhere else. A tiger has two to four cubs any time of the year. That could be dangerous because of the Indian Python, Striped Hyena or a Leopard. Predators could get them while their mother is out hunting. That could decrease the population of the tiger severely. Life as a tiger is hard. |