December 10, 2021 • 13 mins
They are powerful, elusive, and disappearing. We’re talking about the all mighty tiger! Hosts Rick and Ebone explore the many mythologies surrounding the tiger in different cultures, clear up common misconceptions about the white tiger, and explain the difference between the 6 subspecies of the animal. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance CEO Paul Baribault joins the show to discuss how the organization partners with SINTAS Indonesia for a first of its kind long-term research and conservation project to reduce the number of human-tiger conflicts.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hi, I'm Rick Schwartz and I'm Abany Money. Welcome to
Amazing Wildlife, where we explore unique stories of wildlife from
around the world and uncovered fascinating animal facts. This podcast
is a production of I Heart Radio and San Diego
Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in international nonprofit conservation organization that oversees
the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. I am so
(00:27):
excited for today's conversation dedicated to the beautiful, mesmerizing, mighty tiger, Rick.
People have been fascinated by tigers for thousands of years.
That's right, Ebony. Some cultures believe that tigers bring good
luck and keep bad spirits away. Often you'll see statues
(00:50):
and artwork of tigers around homes or even in the workplace.
Other cultures believe that they are powerful, solitary creatures and
refer to them as the king of all animals, which
I think lions might disagree. And one of my favorites though, honestly,
about tigers is that when they roar, it means stormy
weather with high winds as sure to come. So it
(01:13):
sounds like there's a lot of ideas about tigers circulating.
A lot of folklore what's some misconceptions about tigers that
we might be able to clear up today. Yeah, one
of the popular ones is about white tigers. The belief
is that a white tiger occurs when a tiger has
gained enlightenment, and that's why there aren't that many white
(01:33):
tigers because enlightenment doesn't come easily. But the white color
in tigers is due to a rare genetic discrepancy. So
when two tigers with uncommon recessive gene or genetic coating
that eliminates the red and yellow pigment, when they have
cubs together, it's possible for one of those cubs, or
maybe even more, to be born as a white tiger.
(01:54):
Would that be the same thing as like an alvinyl tiger?
Is that what's help to refer two in the animal kingdom? More?
Is it different? It's a little bit different than albinoism.
So this these recessive genes prevent the pigment coloration of
yellows and reds, which give that tigers to that glowing
orange color between those black stripes. Albinoism is the lack
(02:15):
of all pigments, so that's when you see the red eyes.
There's no stripes at all because there's no pigmentation at
all on the cat. And you mentioned that tigers are
are solitary creatures. They're often referred to as solitary creatures.
But then you'll also see images of tigers together. So
when do they commune versus when are they by themselves?
(02:37):
Tigers by nature are solitary creatures, and most of the
time you will see them out there in a wild
by themselves. Now there is an exception to this, of course,
during the breeding season you might see male and female
together for a couple of weeks, maybe even hunting together
during that time. The other exception to this rule is
a mom with cubs and then even further than the
young cubs that you might imagine as you know, sort
(02:58):
of kitten size, when they are subadults in size almost
the same size as mom. You would still see the
cubs probably hanging out with mom at that time. And
then another version of that is when siblings do leave
mom's care, they may spend the next few weeks together
as well as they start to establish their own territories.
I love the idea of siblings sticking together and working together.
(03:23):
So tigers have various stripes and patterns and sizes and
habitats um How many different tiger species are there? Well,
there are currently six subspecies of tigers, so they're all tigers,
but they're different subspecies found in different areas. Unfortunately, three
subspecies have already gone extinct, So at one time there
were nine subspecies that we knew of the ones that
(03:45):
have gone extinct or the Javan, the Balinese, and the Caspian.
At the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park we
work with the endangered Sumatran and Malayan tiger species. Other
living subspecies of tigers include the Bengal a moor which
used to be known as the Siberian in South China
and Indochinese. So speaking of the Siberian tiger now the
(04:06):
more tiger, it's a a huge species. How do you
account for the differences in sizes between the subspecies. That's
a great question, and it really plays into a lot
of other species we see out in the world that
may fill similar niches or niches and depending on how
you want to say it, but also then might be
different in size or how they move their their environment.
(04:28):
And we're talking several hundred pounds between the different subspecies
and some of them. But what we really are seeing
is the smaller, more sleek sized tigers tend to be
in thicker, dense jungle where something like the more tiger
they live more in the open, the forest is not
as dense and thick. They might even be found in
some tundra areas as well, So their size is gonna
(04:51):
be they can be bigger, they don't have to, you know,
fit through these small parts of the jungle. And then
of course two prey items, if the prey item is
going to be larger than those that are large or
as far as predators will survive as well. So there
are a couple of different things that come into play
as far as how these particular subspecies of tigers have
grown into their size or maybe not like the Malayanians
in Sumatra and being a bit smaller. In speaking of
(05:14):
the various habitats tigers are found living wild in parts
of Southeast Asia. What's what's their status overall? Yeah, we
look at the International Union for Conservation of Nature often
called i u c N lists all subspecies of tigers
as endangered, and it's hard to believe across all six
(05:34):
subspecies the total tiger count only four thousand left in
the wild. It's kind of sad. Now they are threatened,
of course by habitat destruction. Poaching. Human tiger conflict is
a big problem too, and when there's habitat destruction, it
means less space for both tigers and their prey. Less
prey means fewer areas for tigers to live. No, that's unfortunate,
(05:55):
And something else that threatens tigers chances for survival happens
right at at birth. Can we talk about how tigers
are born with their their eyes close and how does
that ultimately impact their chances for survival in the wild. Yes, Unfortunately,
the wild can be a pretty harsh place. Um and
and believe it or not, you know this is kind
(06:15):
of a fun fact. All cats are born blind, so lions, tigers,
and birds, all of them. They're born blind and their
eyes won't open, usually for six to twelve days, depending
upon this species, and this is a very vulnerable time
for them. Mom usually will not even leave their side
at this time, and there's times to where if something
(06:36):
does scare her off from the cubs, they are left
to be very vulnerable in that state. So there's a
lot of risk that first six months to a year
for any newborn baby animal in the wild. It's it
can be a challenging place, very vulnerable. So, Rick, you
mentioned the human tiger conflict. Can you tell us more
about that. What's what's happening? Yeah, unfortunately, Uh, there there
(06:59):
are many channel between humans and tigers, and this happens
with other species as well. As human populations grow, and
like any other animal on the planet, we require resources,
we require land for that resource, and and so we
start to encroach further into habitats that have not had
humans before, and those habitats, of course, in this case
where tigers live, suddenly we see humans coming into closer
(07:20):
contact with tiger territory and tiger populations, and so this
causes a conflict of course, because of the challenges a
large predator like a tiger might have on a small community.
And coming up, we'll talk about some of the efforts
to address some of those challenges for conservation in the wound.
Thanks so much, Wreck All right, now it's time for
(07:43):
the San Diego Zoo Safari Park Minute an opportunity for
you to learn what's new at the zoo. The Jane
Goodall Institute, one of the top international conservation Organizations has
named President and Chief executive Officer of the San Diego Zoo,
while Life Alliance Paul A Bearable as Chairman of the
Board of Directors. Beara Boult has until this change served
(08:06):
in the capacity of Vice Chairman of the board. The
organization is known internationally for primate conservation, establishing and maintaining
the longest running study of wild chimpanzees. Fun fact, did
you know that Jane Goodall was the first person to
document that chimpanzees make tools, eat and hunt for meat,
(08:27):
and have similar social behaviors as humans. She truly transformed
the way we think of great apes. We'll be right back.
They're powerful, elusive and disappearing. Today we're talking about tigers.
(08:51):
Joining the conversation is San Diego Zoo. Wild Life Alliance
CEO Paul bear Bault. Hi, Paul, Hello, how's the Alliance
working with partners and Onesia to save this endangered species? Well,
there are approximately six hundreds so much in tiger's remaining
and they're spread across the twenty three force landscapes. In
the past, tiger conservation work and sumatras focus on tigers
(09:12):
and protected areas, but more than half of the tigers
killed every year are actually killed outside of these areas.
So we've partnered with Sentas Indonesia for a first of
its kind long term research and conservation project. We're studying
tiger ecology, which means we're studying the relationship between tigers
and their environment. Now, monitoring tigers in in nature and
(09:36):
is a big task. What's the approach? Well, as you
mentioned earlier, tigers are elusive. Their coats help them camouflage
against the force backdrop, which makes it easier for them
to roam for hundreds of miles. But their paul prints
and scatterre clues that tell us where they may be,
and we use cameras to provide even more detailed information
on their location and behaviors. So to clarify, Paul, we're
(09:59):
talking about scientists analyzing the hair, pawprints, and scat or
poop of tigers. What can you determine from analyzing the
tiger's poop, Well, you know you can. Actually it's terminal
a lot. And I have to say in my career,
I never imagine I'd be talking about poop on a podcast.
But you know, with their hair and their paw prints
(10:19):
and scat, what we learned. It provides scientists with a
ton of information, including the identity the tiger, it's reproductive status,
as well as what it's eating. So, with all of
this data being collected, what have we learned so far?
What are the biggest challenges tigers are facing? Well? Without
a doubt, Habitat fragmentation and the loss of native prey
(10:40):
populations from over hunting are some of the biggest challenges,
and that leads to tigers wandering out of the forest
and closer to farms and villages in search of food.
The loss of livestock are the fear of a tiger
attack often and sadly unfortunately results in the tiger's death
most of the time. So what can be done? Um,
what's being done to help? Well? At the core, we
(11:01):
have to reduce the loss of tigers due to human
wildlife conflict and Indonesian wildlife officials are bringing tigers who
threaten people and livestock to rescue centers. We're working with
a local conservation agency to re release several of these
tigers fitted with GPS collars to study and learn about
their movements and how they live across their habitats. And
(11:22):
Paul working with local organizations is a big part of
the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliances conservation strategy. What's the
measure of success for this work? Well, it's a great question,
and I really thank you for asking it, because at
the cornerstone of everything we do, we always have to
be thinking about what success looks like, what are we
trying to achieve and how do we best support our partners.
(11:42):
While our partners in Sumatra aim to protect and save
tigers by reducing human wildlife conflict and formulating best practices
and tiger management across these landscapes, we also hope to
greatly reduce the number of tigers that spend their lives
and rescue centers and actively work with villages to reduce
the negative action many people have of tigers. We want
to show that people and tigers can coexist and successfully
(12:06):
share the same landscapes. That's amazing, great work, Paul, Thanks
for sharing how the latest and science and technology are
being used to protect tigers. Thank you thanks for listening
to today's show. We hope you learned a lot and
are inspired to do your part. Be sure to subscribe
and tune into next week's episode and which will bring
(12:26):
you the story of one of North America's smallest mammals.
I'm any Money and I'm Rick Schwartz. Thanks for listening.
For more information about the San Diego Zoo in San
Diego Zoo Safari Park, go to sdz w a dot org.
Amazing Wildlife is a production of I Heart Radio. Our
producer is Nikiya Swinton and our executive producer is Marci
(12:50):
the Peanut. Our sound designer and editor is Cody Scully,
with assistance from Matt Stillo. For more shows from my
heart Radio, check out the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. M m
(13:11):
HM
Hi, I'm Rick Schwartz and I'm Abany Money. Welcome to
Amazing Wildlife, where we explore unique stories of wildlife from
around the world and uncovered fascinating animal facts. This podcast
is a production of I Heart Radio and San Diego
Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in international nonprofit conservation organization that oversees
the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. I am so
(00:27):
excited for today's conversation dedicated to the beautiful, mesmerizing, mighty tiger, Rick.
People have been fascinated by tigers for thousands of years.
That's right, Ebony. Some cultures believe that tigers bring good
luck and keep bad spirits away. Often you'll see statues
(00:50):
and artwork of tigers around homes or even in the workplace.
Other cultures believe that they are powerful, solitary creatures and
refer to them as the king of all animals, which
I think lions might disagree. And one of my favorites though, honestly,
about tigers is that when they roar, it means stormy
weather with high winds as sure to come. So it
(01:13):
sounds like there's a lot of ideas about tigers circulating.
A lot of folklore what's some misconceptions about tigers that
we might be able to clear up today. Yeah, one
of the popular ones is about white tigers. The belief
is that a white tiger occurs when a tiger has
gained enlightenment, and that's why there aren't that many white
(01:33):
tigers because enlightenment doesn't come easily. But the white color
in tigers is due to a rare genetic discrepancy. So
when two tigers with uncommon recessive gene or genetic coating
that eliminates the red and yellow pigment, when they have
cubs together, it's possible for one of those cubs, or
maybe even more, to be born as a white tiger.
(01:54):
Would that be the same thing as like an alvinyl tiger?
Is that what's help to refer two in the animal kingdom? More?
Is it different? It's a little bit different than albinoism.
So this these recessive genes prevent the pigment coloration of
yellows and reds, which give that tigers to that glowing
orange color between those black stripes. Albinoism is the lack
(02:15):
of all pigments, so that's when you see the red eyes.
There's no stripes at all because there's no pigmentation at
all on the cat. And you mentioned that tigers are
are solitary creatures. They're often referred to as solitary creatures.
But then you'll also see images of tigers together. So
when do they commune versus when are they by themselves?
(02:37):
Tigers by nature are solitary creatures, and most of the
time you will see them out there in a wild
by themselves. Now there is an exception to this, of course,
during the breeding season you might see male and female
together for a couple of weeks, maybe even hunting together
during that time. The other exception to this rule is
a mom with cubs and then even further than the
young cubs that you might imagine as you know, sort
(02:58):
of kitten size, when they are subadults in size almost
the same size as mom. You would still see the
cubs probably hanging out with mom at that time. And
then another version of that is when siblings do leave
mom's care, they may spend the next few weeks together
as well as they start to establish their own territories.
I love the idea of siblings sticking together and working together.
(03:23):
So tigers have various stripes and patterns and sizes and
habitats um How many different tiger species are there? Well,
there are currently six subspecies of tigers, so they're all tigers,
but they're different subspecies found in different areas. Unfortunately, three
subspecies have already gone extinct, So at one time there
were nine subspecies that we knew of the ones that
(03:45):
have gone extinct or the Javan, the Balinese, and the Caspian.
At the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park we
work with the endangered Sumatran and Malayan tiger species. Other
living subspecies of tigers include the Bengal a moor which
used to be known as the Siberian in South China
and Indochinese. So speaking of the Siberian tiger now the
(04:06):
more tiger, it's a a huge species. How do you
account for the differences in sizes between the subspecies. That's
a great question, and it really plays into a lot
of other species we see out in the world that
may fill similar niches or niches and depending on how
you want to say it, but also then might be
different in size or how they move their their environment.
(04:28):
And we're talking several hundred pounds between the different subspecies
and some of them. But what we really are seeing
is the smaller, more sleek sized tigers tend to be
in thicker, dense jungle where something like the more tiger
they live more in the open, the forest is not
as dense and thick. They might even be found in
some tundra areas as well, So their size is gonna
(04:51):
be they can be bigger, they don't have to, you know,
fit through these small parts of the jungle. And then
of course two prey items, if the prey item is
going to be larger than those that are large or
as far as predators will survive as well. So there
are a couple of different things that come into play
as far as how these particular subspecies of tigers have
grown into their size or maybe not like the Malayanians
in Sumatra and being a bit smaller. In speaking of
(05:14):
the various habitats tigers are found living wild in parts
of Southeast Asia. What's what's their status overall? Yeah, we
look at the International Union for Conservation of Nature often
called i u c N lists all subspecies of tigers
as endangered, and it's hard to believe across all six
(05:34):
subspecies the total tiger count only four thousand left in
the wild. It's kind of sad. Now they are threatened,
of course by habitat destruction. Poaching. Human tiger conflict is
a big problem too, and when there's habitat destruction, it
means less space for both tigers and their prey. Less
prey means fewer areas for tigers to live. No, that's unfortunate,
(05:55):
And something else that threatens tigers chances for survival happens
right at at birth. Can we talk about how tigers
are born with their their eyes close and how does
that ultimately impact their chances for survival in the wild. Yes, Unfortunately,
the wild can be a pretty harsh place. Um and
and believe it or not, you know this is kind
(06:15):
of a fun fact. All cats are born blind, so lions, tigers,
and birds, all of them. They're born blind and their
eyes won't open, usually for six to twelve days, depending
upon this species, and this is a very vulnerable time
for them. Mom usually will not even leave their side
at this time, and there's times to where if something
(06:36):
does scare her off from the cubs, they are left
to be very vulnerable in that state. So there's a
lot of risk that first six months to a year
for any newborn baby animal in the wild. It's it
can be a challenging place, very vulnerable. So, Rick, you
mentioned the human tiger conflict. Can you tell us more
about that. What's what's happening? Yeah, unfortunately, Uh, there there
(06:59):
are many channel between humans and tigers, and this happens
with other species as well. As human populations grow, and
like any other animal on the planet, we require resources,
we require land for that resource, and and so we
start to encroach further into habitats that have not had
humans before, and those habitats, of course, in this case
where tigers live, suddenly we see humans coming into closer
(07:20):
contact with tiger territory and tiger populations, and so this
causes a conflict of course, because of the challenges a
large predator like a tiger might have on a small community.
And coming up, we'll talk about some of the efforts
to address some of those challenges for conservation in the wound.
Thanks so much, Wreck All right, now it's time for
(07:43):
the San Diego Zoo Safari Park Minute an opportunity for
you to learn what's new at the zoo. The Jane
Goodall Institute, one of the top international conservation Organizations has
named President and Chief executive Officer of the San Diego Zoo,
while Life Alliance Paul A Bearable as Chairman of the
Board of Directors. Beara Boult has until this change served
(08:06):
in the capacity of Vice Chairman of the board. The
organization is known internationally for primate conservation, establishing and maintaining
the longest running study of wild chimpanzees. Fun fact, did
you know that Jane Goodall was the first person to
document that chimpanzees make tools, eat and hunt for meat,
(08:27):
and have similar social behaviors as humans. She truly transformed
the way we think of great apes. We'll be right back.
They're powerful, elusive and disappearing. Today we're talking about tigers.
(08:51):
Joining the conversation is San Diego Zoo. Wild Life Alliance
CEO Paul bear Bault. Hi, Paul, Hello, how's the Alliance
working with partners and Onesia to save this endangered species? Well,
there are approximately six hundreds so much in tiger's remaining
and they're spread across the twenty three force landscapes. In
the past, tiger conservation work and sumatras focus on tigers
(09:12):
and protected areas, but more than half of the tigers
killed every year are actually killed outside of these areas.
So we've partnered with Sentas Indonesia for a first of
its kind long term research and conservation project. We're studying
tiger ecology, which means we're studying the relationship between tigers
and their environment. Now, monitoring tigers in in nature and
(09:36):
is a big task. What's the approach? Well, as you
mentioned earlier, tigers are elusive. Their coats help them camouflage
against the force backdrop, which makes it easier for them
to roam for hundreds of miles. But their paul prints
and scatterre clues that tell us where they may be,
and we use cameras to provide even more detailed information
on their location and behaviors. So to clarify, Paul, we're
(09:59):
talking about scientists analyzing the hair, pawprints, and scat or
poop of tigers. What can you determine from analyzing the
tiger's poop, Well, you know you can. Actually it's terminal
a lot. And I have to say in my career,
I never imagine I'd be talking about poop on a podcast.
But you know, with their hair and their paw prints
(10:19):
and scat, what we learned. It provides scientists with a
ton of information, including the identity the tiger, it's reproductive status,
as well as what it's eating. So, with all of
this data being collected, what have we learned so far?
What are the biggest challenges tigers are facing? Well? Without
a doubt, Habitat fragmentation and the loss of native prey
(10:40):
populations from over hunting are some of the biggest challenges,
and that leads to tigers wandering out of the forest
and closer to farms and villages in search of food.
The loss of livestock are the fear of a tiger
attack often and sadly unfortunately results in the tiger's death
most of the time. So what can be done? Um,
what's being done to help? Well? At the core, we
(11:01):
have to reduce the loss of tigers due to human
wildlife conflict and Indonesian wildlife officials are bringing tigers who
threaten people and livestock to rescue centers. We're working with
a local conservation agency to re release several of these
tigers fitted with GPS collars to study and learn about
their movements and how they live across their habitats. And
(11:22):
Paul working with local organizations is a big part of
the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliances conservation strategy. What's the
measure of success for this work? Well, it's a great question,
and I really thank you for asking it, because at
the cornerstone of everything we do, we always have to
be thinking about what success looks like, what are we
trying to achieve and how do we best support our partners.
(11:42):
While our partners in Sumatra aim to protect and save
tigers by reducing human wildlife conflict and formulating best practices
and tiger management across these landscapes, we also hope to
greatly reduce the number of tigers that spend their lives
and rescue centers and actively work with villages to reduce
the negative action many people have of tigers. We want
to show that people and tigers can coexist and successfully
(12:06):
share the same landscapes. That's amazing, great work, Paul, Thanks
for sharing how the latest and science and technology are
being used to protect tigers. Thank you thanks for listening
to today's show. We hope you learned a lot and
are inspired to do your part. Be sure to subscribe
and tune into next week's episode and which will bring
(12:26):
you the story of one of North America's smallest mammals.
I'm any Money and I'm Rick Schwartz. Thanks for listening.
For more information about the San Diego Zoo in San
Diego Zoo Safari Park, go to sdz w a dot org.
Amazing Wildlife is a production of I Heart Radio. Our
producer is Nikiya Swinton and our executive producer is Marci
(12:50):
the Peanut. Our sound designer and editor is Cody Scully,
with assistance from Matt Stillo. For more shows from my
heart Radio, check out the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. M m
(13:11):
HM
Hosts And Creators
Rick Schwartz
Marco Wendt
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