We don't care if the tiger is the world's favorite animal (poll carried out by Animal Planet). This is how the poll went. The figures are the percentage of people who voted:- 21% tiger
- 20% dog
- 13% dolphin
- 10% horse
- 9% lion
- 8% snake
Anyway I haven't got to the point that I wanted to make. Search for news using Google news search for information about the tiger, the worlds favorite animal and what comes up? Bloody football, that's what! We name teams after the tiger as it is an animal that we respect (but not enough to preserve it for future generations clearly as it is endangered and gradually becoming extinct). The tiger is fierce (perfect for a football team) on the outside and noble and discerning on the inside (quote: Animal behaviourist Candy d'Sa).
But tiger news? We get footballing tigers, Tamil tigers, Tiger Woods, Flying Tigers (American airmen in the second world war) and so on and so forth. Out of the first 20 listed results we have 2 on the real tiger, one concerning a planned Malaysian tiger park, which is being criticized because it will, it is argued, further, endanger the tiger in the wild and the second about 2 tigers and a lion rescued from a private individual's collection (my guess) because they were neglected and in desparate need of help (see Texas Tigers are Unwanted). Both the tiger stories, were, then stories of doom and gloom regarding the tiger.
Conclusion
The tiger is the world's favorite animal but it is less important that Tiger Woods and a small time football team somewhere I know not where and don't care. The 2 stories that are listed bear that out. The world must decide, collectively, whether we care enough about the tiger to keep it in the wild. My firm opinion is that we care about the tiger but only to the point that we keep it in captivity and on our strict terms. The tiger is the world's favorite animal but it competes with us for space and we are the world's top predator, we control the destiny of the tiger. We are also frightened of the tiger, remember.
The Tiger is the World's Favorite Animal to Bengal Tiger Facts
Photo by SaravK and published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License
Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI'm just not sure why rhinos aren't many people's favorite animals. They are so cool, unique, primitive, awesome, and very exquisite. Most people think of rhinos as boring, 'ugly' (which they are totally far from), and scary. But, in fact, rhinos aren't as dangerous as they they seem. Rhinos are big but vulnerable animals, and an easy target for poachers. They have poor eyesight but excellent sense of smell and hearing. They charge only if threatened, scared, provoked, a mother protecting her calf if a stranger gets too close, or has been harassed or hunted in the past. Otherwise, rhinos are generally placid, calm, and herbivorous animals that are definately not predators or seek to harm anyone. The black rhino is considered the most aggressive of the 5 rhino species, and is considered 'bad-tempered'. THEY ARE NOT. NO ANIMAL IS BAD TEMPERED!!!! They just get scared easier than the others because of their poorer eyesight. Only an ignorant person should call a rhino foul-tempered and mean.
There are 5 species of rhino:
1. The Indian Rhino lives in Nepal, India, and there is only about 2,500 remaining.
2. The Sumatran Rhino lives in Sumatra and small pockets of Malaysia, and there are only 300 left. So sad!!! You've got to look at the pictures of these splendid, unique animals. They are the only rhinos that have hair on their body, have two small horns, and have a vocalization similar to that of a whale! They really need our help!
3. The Javan Rhino lives in Indonesia and possibly Malaysia; there are only a mere 60 left in the wild-and none in captivity. These need our help also!
4. The Black Rhino lives in Africa (mostly Zimbabwe) and there are only 4,000 left. There used to be 100,000 during the 50s and 60s, but has greatly declined to to belligerent and cruel poaching methods. All they need is love, a safe habitat, and help.
5. The White Rhino lives in Africa and there is about 14,000 in the wild. During the early 1900s, there was less than 100 in the wild. Due to tremendous conservation work, these huge but extremely gentle giants are now off the endangered species list and are starting to make a wonderful comeback.
Even though I'm only a 14-year-old girl, I have a huge place in my heart for the rhinos and would definately participate in helping them in my spare time when I grown up. They just need more love - if you looked into a rhino's eye, the myriad lines on it's huge face, the velvety ears, the adorable calves, and how much they are suffering under human hands, I think you would place the rhino on your favorite animals list. Rhinos are indeed gentle in captivity and will eat food from a child's hand. They are surprisingly easy to train, get along with other animals, and are protective of their young. There are amazing pictures of these massive rhinos next to a large group of chickens, birds, antelopes, and even lion prides. They just keep grazing and doing their thing. Please support the conservation of the rhinos and respect them with all your care.
God Bless you
-Catherine
Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI'm just not sure why rhinos aren't many people's favorite animals. They are so cool, unique, primitive, awesome, and very exquisite. Most people think of rhinos as boring, 'ugly' (which they are totally far from), and scary. But, in fact, rhinos aren't as dangerous as they they seem. Rhinos are big but vulnerable animals, and an easy target for poachers. They have poor eyesight but excellent sense of smell and hearing. They charge only if threatened, scared, provoked, a mother protecting her calf if a stranger gets too close, or has been harassed or hunted in the past. Otherwise, rhinos are generally placid, calm, and herbivorous animals that are definately not predators or seek to harm anyone. The black rhino is considered the most aggressive of the 5 rhino species, and is considered 'bad-tempered'. THEY ARE NOT. No animas is bad tempered! They just get scared easier than the others because of their poorer eyesight. Only an ignorant person should call a rhino foul-tempered and mean.
There are 5 species of rhino:
1. The Indian Rhino lives in Nepal, India, and there is only about 2,500 remaining.
2. The Sumatran Rhino lives in Sumatra and small pockets of Malaysia, and there are only 300 left. So sad!!! You've got to look at the pictures of these splendid, unique animals. They are the only rhinos that have hair on their body, have two small horns, and have a vocalization similar to that of a whale! They really need our help!
3. The Javan Rhino lives in Indonesia and possibly Malaysia; there are only a mere 60 left in the wild-and none in captivity. These need our help also!
4. The Black Rhino lives in Africa (mostly Zimbabwe) and there are only 4,000 left. There used to be 100,000 during the 50s and 60s, but has greatly declined to to belligerent and cruel poaching methods. All they need is love, a safe habitat, and help.
5. The White Rhino lives in Africa and there is about 14,000 in the wild. During the early 1900s, there was less than 100 in the wild. Due to tremendous conservation work, these huge but extremely gentle giants are now off the endangered species list and are starting to make a wonderful comeback.
Even though I'm only a 14-year-old girl, I have a huge place in my heart for the rhinos and would definately participate in helping them in my spare time when I grown up. They just need more love - if you looked into a rhino's eye, the myriad lines on it's huge face, the velvety ears, the adorable calves, and how much they are suffering under human hands, I think you would place the rhino on your favorite animals list. Rhinos are indeed gentle in captivity and will eat food from a child's hand. They are surprisingly easy to train, get along with other animals, and are protective of their young. Please support the conservation of the rhinos and respect them with all your care.
God Bless you
-Catherine