When is International Tiger Day celebrated?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Lions, cheetahs, tigers, lynxes, leopards and jaguars are wild cats, dangerous predators that have always admired and aroused the genuine interest of a wide range of people with their grace, soft proud tread and peculiar cat disposition. One of the representatives of the species - a lion, deservedly acquired the title - the king of animals. And in honor of the other, International Tiger Day (July 29) is celebrated.

Purpose of the holiday

International Tiger Day was not established by chance. The purpose of the event was to attract as much attention as possible to the issue of the extinction of this species, the conservation of animals and the increase in their population.

In addition to the International Tiger Day in our country in the Far East, there is another holiday that is usually held on the end dates of September. On this day, various topical exhibitions are organized, zoos are visited, charity events and other thematic gatherings are held.

History of the holiday

International Tiger Day has been celebrated on July 29 every year since its inception in 2010. This holiday is celebrated almost all over the world. And our country did not stand aside. We also celebrated International Tiger Day in 2017. The official establishment of the holiday itself and the appointment of the date were made at the International Forum "Tiger Summit" in St. Petersburg, which was dedicated to the topic of reducing the number of tigers, measures and methods for their protection, where this day was chosen to celebrate.

Countries participating in this large-scale event initiated the organization of International Tiger Day. These include directly only those states in the open spaces of which wild cats live. Through lengthy negotiations, important documents were approved that play an important role in the process of saving tigers, preserving and increasing their numbers, and a day was appointed when International Tiger Day will be celebrated all over the world. It is calculated that favorable results can be expected by 2022.

How is this day celebrated?

The most common tradition to celebrate this holiday is by going to the zoo, where the animals are fed a double portion of treats. Thanks to the efforts of the international association Global Tiger Initiative, animals that are outside of civilization, that is, living in the natural environment, have the opportunity to maintain or even increase their population. With great efforts, the association raised a colossal amount for the preservation and worthy maintenance of the life of this species - 350 million dollars.

Tiger Day in Russia

In the Primorsky Territory of our country, the celebration of the Day of the Far Eastern Tiger has been celebrated a little longer, since 2000. The tiger is depicted on the emblem of the city of Vladivostok. Therefore, it was decided to create a regional holiday dedicated to the wild cat.

In honor of International Tiger Day, kindergartens sometimes hold all kinds of matinees, the audience of which is usually parents. Children dress up as these wild cats. And they arrange a very interesting event where they read poems about International Tiger Day.

The tiger is the second "king" after the lion

The name of the tiger comes from the word taig, which in ancient Persian translates as an arrow, speed of running. Hence the name of the majestic striped cat. There are many varieties of tigers, including the well-known Bengal, Amur, Caspian and South China wild cats. All of them belong to the genus Panther. Unfortunately, some species could not be saved in time, and they disappeared from our planet. There are animals that need help and are on the verge of extinction, such as the Bengal subspecies. Tiger hunting is prohibited.

The size of this beast is quite impressive and reaches about two to three meters in length and weighs more than 3 centners. Only a white or brown bear can compete with him in power and slightly exceeds his size. And if you compare a tiger with his brothers, then he is in no way inferior to a lion, leopard, jaguar or leopard. Despite the fact that all these species belong to the cat family, they do not meowknow how, but only growl.

Nature has rewarded tigers with special beauty. The wild cat is painted in bright colors, from yellow to dark red. The belly, throat and chest are white. The tiger's eyes are also yellow. There are also handsome tigers, completely painted in white. Their number is not numerous. These animals are beautiful: blue eyes and black stripes on a snow-white body.

The Far Eastern countries and India are considered to be the habitat of large and graceful cats. Not so long ago, their habitat was much wider, extending to Iran, Indochina, Transcaucasia. But human activity there completely destroyed these animals.

Tiger is a solitary animal. He ruthlessly and bravely guards his habitat. The tiger feeds preferably on fresh raw meat. To do this, he hunts small or medium-sized ungulates, such as roe deer, wild boars. A rare case in his menu can be a monkey or an alligator. If a predator is very hungry, then it will not disdain carrion.

Reproduction of tigers does not depend on seasons and natural conditions. The main factor is the onset of estrus in the female. A tigress's pregnancy lasts for several months and produces up to four cubs.

What not everyone knows about tigers

Undoubtedly, wild cats are clearly different from their domesticated relatives.

• Tigers' vision at night is enviable, it is six times sharper than human eyes.
• In my own pisssuch tigers receive information such as gender, age, and the state of the reproductive system. The same liquid helps the animal to mark the territory and boundaries of its habitat. Surprisingly, tiger urine smells like oiled popcorn.
• Chic male tigers are true gentlemen. In the process of hunting, they first of all give up the killed victim to females and cubs, and only after them they start prey.
• An interesting fact about tiger stripes is that the stripes on the animal's forehead resemble the Chinese character for "king". Not many people know that even a bald tiger will remain striped, as the skin of a wild cat retains, as if copying, the pattern.

Tigers know how to be cunning: by reproducing the voices of other animals, they lure the victim during the hunt. They also have the ability to copulate and procreate with other species of the Cat family, with the exception of royal lions.

There are black, red, white and even blue tigers little known to us. And they all need our protection. Perhaps on International Tiger Day, those who exterminate animals for a beautiful trophy will think about it.

Population decline

An important problem at the moment is the extinction and destruction of the population of these magnificent animals, the violation of their habitual habitat. The tiger population is rapidly declining. There are approximately 6,500 individuals of this species left on our planet, of which only 450 are Amur, and only 30 are South Chinese. Tigers have found shelter in China, India, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos.

Protect animal life

Unfortunately, due to the mass extinction and frequent cases of poaching, tigers were listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In 1947, hunting was completely banned, and since 1955, a ban was also established on catching their offspring. The number of individuals is sharply reduced due to hunting. Animals are killed for their skins, internal organs used in oriental medicine, such as the production of painkillers and aphrodisiacs by Chinese craftsmen, which is prohibited and punishable by Chinese law.

The Dalai Lama XIV achieved a positive effect with his speech in 2006 at the festival of Buddhist pilgrims. After that, many visitors to the festival began to throw away the skins of dead tigers and even things with tiger-colored ornaments.

Poaching, violation of the habitual living conditions of tigers affected their numbers. In a hundred years, the number of individuals has decreased from 100,000 to 3,500 tigers ready to bear offspring. Salvation was the maintenance of animals in specially created reserves, zoos. The largest number of tigers lives in India. Approximately 350 tigers are in captivity.

The public plays a big role in the protection and conservation of animals. The governments of all the countries where they live are making great efforts to preserve and protect these animals: laws, government programs are being adopted, and various organizations are involved to achieve this goal. And congratulations to the tiger on the International Day in honor of himis one of them.