93%. Much like almost every other thing in existence, Tigers and all facts related to them can be reduced to a statistic. The fearsome and majestic beast once roamed from the corners of the Black Sea in the west to the Indian Ocean in the south, and from Kolyama, Sumatra in the east. Over the past 100 years, the species has lost 93% of its historic range, and has been extirpated from Western and Central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and from large areas of South, South East Asia. Today, it ranges from the Siberian taiga to open grassland and tropical mangrove swamps, and has been classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List.
On this day when the International Tiger’s Day is celebrated enough people write about how we need to protect them and it is sad that is has been forced to be a necessity. However we offer a different approach this solitary but social animal is also one of the most charismatic beasts to ever grace this planet. Here we explore the tiger through
Art, Literature, Music, Mythology and more.
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Chinese art has an impressive amount of objects with tigers, symbolizing the earth and matter as opposed to the dragon, which represents the spirit. In stories that have passed from generation to generation, Tigers are the protectors of good people and kill evil men. In houses and temples are common the paintings of these cats, which are believed to drive away the evil spirits. Already in Imperial China, the war was personified with the figure of a tiger. Even today it can be found in many tombs and monuments.
On the other hand, the Bengal Tiger is paramount in the traditions and culture of India. It associates with the deities Shiva and Durga, and members of the Warli tribe worship Warghia, the lord of the tigers while in the south the god Ayyappan is associated with the and the warrior goddess Durga is depicted riding a tigress in the battle.
Possibly, the first civilizations that included the tiger in its culture were Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa settled in the Indus valley 5,000 years ago. They had symbols of these cats engraved and used as amulets.
Let us ensure that we leave these not legends but as stories we tell our children while they see the tigers.