While man-eating tigers are a rarity in most parts of Asia, they are notorious in the Sunderbans, a 4,000 square mile (10,360 sq km) densely forested river delta area in India and Bangladesh that is the home of 250 tigers. No one lives in the mangrove forests and swamps of the Sunderbans; however people do enter to fish and gather wood and honey. The Sunderban tigers seem to have targeted humans as prey, and human casualties are reported every year.

Several different methods have been used to combat man-eating tigers in the Sunderbans. One method uses human dummies fitted with electric wires from car batteries which administer a shock when touched by a tiger, training tigers not to attack humans. Another method uses simple masks of human faces which are worn on the back of the head. This effectively made both sides of the wearer appear to be the front, deterring attacks from tigers which normally attack from behind. While this method seemed to work for several years, it appears that the Sunderban tigers have discovered the trick.

White Tigers

A mutation of the Bengal subspecies, white tigers have dark brown or reddish brown stripes on a white ground-color. A popular attraction in many of today's zoos, white tigers in the wild were recorded in India during the hb Mughal Period from 1556 to 1605 AD (Divyabhanusinh, 1986). At least 17 instances were recorded in India between 1907 and 1933 (Gee, 1954) in Orissa, Bilaspur, Sohagpur and Rewa (Pocock, 1939).

White Tigers Without Stripes

White tigers showing no stripes have been recorded. A "wholly white tiger, with the stripe-pattern visible only under reflected light, like the pattern of a white tabby cat, was exhibited in the Execter Change Menagerie in the early part of the nineteenth century and described by Hamilton Smith" (Pocock, 1939: p 202). Another citing of a "tiger without stripes" was reported by Sagar and Singh (1989) from Similipal Reserve, Orissa.

Black Tigers

Melanistic or black tigers have tawny, yellow or white stripes on a black ground color. In October 1992 the skin of a melanistic tiger was recovered from smugglers at Tis Hazari. The skin measured eight and a half feet and was displayed at the National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi in February of 1993 (Kumar, 1993). The existence of black tigers without stripes has been reported, but has never been substantiated by specimens or photographs.

No matter what the culture or language, the tiger is regarded as the undisputed ruler of its domain and it has had a profound influence on village life in Asia over the centuries. In popular belief the tiger is the oldest inhabitant of the jungle, living there long before humans came. People working in their gardens or in the forest do not dare to call the big cat by its common names. Instead they use respectful titles like 'grandfather/grandmother in-the forest,' 'old man of the forest,' 'general' or 'king of the forest.'

The tiger is variously feared, respected, admired and distrusted depending on the context. The popular beliefs swing between its power to help or harm, save or destroy; although, in Sumatra at least the final analysis is that the tiger is thought of as a good and just animal and a friend rather than a foe, who can be called on in times of illness or difficulty.

Stories also tell of mythical times when a deal was struck between humans and tigers such that they would respect each other's territory - the tiger's forest, the people's village.

In some parts of Sumatra there is a yearly ritual in which this bond between tiger and humans is reaffirmed. Offerings of flowers and rice are presented in the houses, while outside the offerings are of raw meat and the blood of a water buffalo slaughtered for the occasion. It is thought that if the tiger does not get its yearly respect, it will leave the forest and disturb the village.

A tiger or its pawprints suddenly seen on the perimeter means that something in the village is wrong - someone has broken the rules. It may be anything from adultery to a failure to obey the village elders, or that the elders themselves have failed to perform certain tasks. The suspect is fined (in rice or chickens or goats depending on the severity of the crime) and the village chief will bring meat to the forest to inform the tiger that the fault has been corrected. Equally though, if a tiger kills, it has gone too far and retribution must be extracted. The tiger is hunted and killed, although this is done with respect, followed by ceremonial burial.

A number of researchers see the myths as inspired by respect, fear and common sense - common sense because tigers seldom attack humans. If they are left alone the village will be safe. Village youth today holds the same respect for these animals as their parents, so tiger myths are considered a living tradition.

However, a change in attitude can occur when sons leave the village to join the army or the police force, etc. These ideas are eroded when away from the home influence, and the compunction about indiscriminate killing of tigers is lost. Thus the planned government education programs about conservation are being aimed at all sections of the community throughout Indonesia. It is hoped that the message will reach other parts of Asia as well.

Across all of Asia, once vast forests have fallen for timber or conversion to agriculture. What is left are small islands of forest surrounded by a growing and relatively poor human population. They collect firewood from the forests. Their livestock graze to the forest edges, and common tiger prey-wild pigs and deer-are shot, poisoned or snared for food by poachers. Worse yet, bones and other tiger body parts used in Chinese folk medicine now command premium prices on the international black market, and poachers now poison waterholes or set steel wire snares to kill tigers.

Forestry and wildlife departments are too understaffed and underbudgeted to be effective against this onslaught. Conservation efforts that emphasize increased protection for large felids like tigers have failed or are failing across all of Asia. Simply put, tigers are disappearing in the wild. If we continue to maintain the status quo, then we run the risk of losing all wild tigers.