Outnumbered and Against All Odds, a Tiger Has to Hunt a Lone Baby Deer to Get a Chance

Young Tigress Gains Confidence Along With a Meal After a Successful Hunt!

In the edge-of-your-seat video below, a young tiger stealthily approaches a herd of deer. This struggling tigress has been closely tracked by the video’s narrator, who has followed her for many days. At the video’s start, the narrator shares a personal theory: ‘when a tiger licks its paws, it’s preparing to hunt’. The young tigress in the video is deeply licking her paws, potentially to help with deafening her footsteps. Unbeknownst to her, this tigress is striving to be one of the first tigers returning to the Sariska Reserve, India. The same reserve that’s been ravaged by poachers, entirely wiping out the tiger population, resulting in huge herds of deer!

As we continue along the hunt, the tigress glides across the forest floor. But even with all her stealthy effort, her vibrant orange coat is seemingly sticking out like a sore thumb! The camera captures a breathtaking moment as a deer unknowingly passes in close proximity. The tigress crouches low, fixating her gaze on the oblivious prey standing in between herself and the camera. Patiently, she waits for the deer to distance themselves again before she can prepare to ambush them. Eventually moving once more, she stalks them silently, biding her time for the perfect moment to strike.

And then, as the herd of deer surely begin to feel a coldness in the air, the moment comes. The incredible tigress springs from her cover of foliage. For a moment, the camera waits on the crouched over tigress, unsure of the result of the hunt. Soon, she’s clearly victorious, lifting her head up with a precious baby deer in her grasp. It’s a stark reminder of the challenges these majestic predators face in the wild. Definitely quite a bit more of an ordeal than making a quick trip down to the supermarket, isn’t it!

This Evolutionary Hack Is What Allows Bright Orange Tigers to Remain Hidden In a Green Forest!

Tigers possess a remarkable evolutionary hack! Its their secret weapon that lets them stay concealed and camouflaged in lush green forests despite being bright orange! Despite their vibrant orange, white, and black coats, tigers are one of the most successful and lethal ambush predators in the entire world. This ingenious adaptation relies on the range of visible light perceived by their prey. For the prey species targeted by tigers, the color orange appears as green due to their limited visual spectrum. This optical illusion grants tigers an advantage, rather than making them more visible than a traffic guard!

Moreover, tigers’ distinctive stripes play a pivotal role in their camouflage strategy. These dark stripes serve to disrupt their body shape. Allowing them to blend seamlessly into the intricate patterns of trees, branches, and dappled sunlight that characterize their forest habitats. Siberian tigers, adapted to snowy forests, even develop slightly lighter orange fur to harmonize with the wintery surroundings.

In their pursuit of prey like deer, boar, and various herbivores, Bengal tigers leverage this evolutionary hack to remain stealthy predators. The fact that their prey see orange as green alongside the cryptic patterns that break up the shape of their body, truly underscores the marvel of nature’s adaptations.

Devastating Impact: How Poaching Has Decimated Tiger Populations Across Subspecies and Habitats

Poaching has inflicted severe consequences on various tiger species. According to reports from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Bengal tigers have seen their population decline by more than 50% over the past century. At the absolute worst of it, Siberian tigers have suffered a staggering population decrease of over 80%. This decline is documented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). While the reasons for tiger poaching vary, the main reason they’re over hunted is for their beautiful patterned fur coats. Another threat to tiger populations are farmers that clear forests and raise their animals in areas where tigers already live. Poisoning and vengeful tiger hunting will see these majestic hunters be killed for doing exactly what they’re meant to do. 

This backwards way of thinking needs to be stopped, and the Indian government in particular is making efforts to punish people who selfishly kill tigers out of monetary self-interest. To further counter these alarming trends and stop the extinction of these awe-inspiring creatures, more concrete conservation initiatives are underway. The reintroduction of tigers into the Sariska Reserve in India is one such effort, aimed at revitalizing their numbers, as we see progressing nicely in the video below! Additionally, projects are in progress in other regions of the world, such as south-east Asia and Siberia. These projects aim to restore tigers to their natural habitats in areas where they were poached to near-extinction or outright wiped out. These collective efforts hold promise for the recovery of tiger populations, and are surely more beneficial to tigers than the Tiger King!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Thorsten Spoerlein/Shutterstock.com