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Common name: Bengal tiger Scientific name: Panthera tigris Size: 3 ft. (1 m) in height; 7 ft. (2.3 m) wingspan Weight: The tiger is the largest member of the cat family. Females can weigh as much as 300 pounds (135 kg) while males can weigh as much as 500 pounds (225 kg). Diet: Medium to large prey such as pigs, deer, antelopes and buffalo Range:Areas of Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Bhuton and Burma Habitat:Tropical jungle, brush, marshlands and tall grasslands Status: Fewer than 3,000 remaining in their natural range; listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Fun Facts: Since tigers hunt mostly at dusk and dawn, their stripes, or disruptive coloration, help them hide in the shadows of tall grasses. They stalk and pounce because they are not able to chase prey a long distance. A large tiger can consume as much as 88 pounds (40 kg) of meat in one feeding. What the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks are doing: Since 2001, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund have contributed $125,000 to World Wildlife Fund’s tiger conservation efforts throughout Asia. BGT and the SW&BG Conservation Fund have helped WWF establish protected areas in Indonesia, Nepal, Russia and Cambodia; set up, equip and train tiger anti-poaching patrols; and expand outreach efforts among consumers, practitioners and manufacturers of traditional Chinese medicine to eliminate availability of products containing tiger parts or derivatives. The SW&BG Conservation Fund also helped WWF secure critical tiger habitat in the Tesso Nilo National Forest in central Sumatra. In addition, the SW&BG Conservation Fund has supported a Conservation International program aimed at reducing endangered species smuggling through key Asian airports. A significant amount of this trade is dependent on air transport. The Fund-supported program increases awareness of the illicit trade among airline staff and passengers, strengthening the capacity to efficiently inspect cargo passenger baggage. Despite the best efforts of conservation groups and governments, tigers still struggle to survive. Two subspecies of tigers have already gone extinct in the last century. Efforts like these are focused on protecting the remaining subspecies from the same fate. |
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