The Tiger
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Description of a tiger.
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The damage tigers do.
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Ways in which the tiger is hunted.
We sometimes say, “as cruel as a tiger”; for the tiger is a very savage and cruel animal. It is really a great cat though it is very different in size, strength, and character from the tame pussy in our houses. It is a large, strong, and beautiful beast. The hair is yellow, like the orange, marked very beautifully with black stripes. That is why English hunters sometimes call a tiger” Stripes”. It is shaped like a cat, with a long tail, a round head, and thickly padded feet, with strong claws; and its teeth are very strong and sharp.
The tiger is an Indian animal and is found in dense jungles, especially in Bengal. It sleeps or remains hidden most of the day, and comes out at night to hunt its prey. In this it is like the common cat; but whereas the cat hunts and eats mice and small birds, the tiger kills large animals, such as deer, goats, sheep and cows, and often men. Tigers do a great deal of damage to the farmers; for they come at night to the villages, and steal sheep and goats and cattle. It is said that if a tiger once kills a man and tastes his blood, it will always be like human flesh more than any other. It becomes a Man-eater and is very dangerous.
Villagers are, therefore, always very glad when hunters kill tigers. Tiger-hunting is a noble sport, partly because it calls for courage, and partly because the killing of these savage animals is a blessing to the villagers. One way of hunting tigers is on trained elephants that carry the hunters through the dense jungles where tigers hide. When a tiger is driven out of the jungle, it is shot by the hunters. Another way is to tie a goat or sheep at the foot of a tree in the forest. The hunters then climb the tree and wait with their guns ready for any tiger that comes to kill the goat, and then they shoot it. However, nowadays tiger hunting is not encouraged. ‘Operation Tiger’ campaign is meant to protect the fast dwindling number of tiger
