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Iranian Tiger
Other names: Caspian Tiger, Turan Tiger, Hirkania Tiger
(Panthera tigris virgata)
Babr- in Persian ببر مازندران

A rare photo of Iranian Tiger. This tiger was killed by Russian soldiers in Khorasan province in 1912. Photo (c): Iran-zoo

یک عکس نادر از ببر ایران - این ببر در سال 1912 میلادی در استان خراسان بدست سربازان روسی کشته شده است - عکس از سایت ایران زو

The last known tiger in Iran killed in 1959 in the forested mountain area of the former Mohamad Reza shah (now Golestan II) National Park in Northeastern Iran (Vuosalo 1976). Since the last reliable report of this tiger about 43 years ago, it seems that any efforts to find it, has been hopeless. On 10 January 1954 also, a tiger that apparently crossed into Turkmenia from Iran was killed on the Sumber River. There is another report of one of the last tigers in Iran the was hunted in 1953 (1332) by Captain Ahmad Honarvar in Agh Ghomesish village (some 10 km from the Kalaleh village).

Today it is sure that this wonderful animal has indeed passed into oblivion and like the Persian Lion, is extinct. Why the tiger did not continue to survive in the more isolated forested mountain areas can only be conjectured. The main reason for their extinction, destruction of their habitats, has been noted as the reduction in the number of boars, which was their main food. Tigers could not accept these changes (as the panthers did) and as a result of this they even stopped to breeding. It was even direct persecution eliminated the tiger from its habitat in the Southeast Caspian region, where they were poisoned because of reputed depredations on livestock. Another reason was over hunting that was continue for thousand of years. For example there is one report of hunting 17 Tigers in only 1 day in Miankaleh Island in north of Iran in 20 century.

Between 1973 and 1976 extensive efforts were made by the biologists of the Iranians Department of Environment to determine if tigers remained in the forests of the Alborz Mountains. Casts of cat pug marks were collected throughout the region each winter. Almost all were easily identified as leopard. However in two of the more isolated areas the casts were sufficiently large as to be suggestive of tiger. A dozen bait stations with remote cameras wee established in both regions over a two winter period, but no tiger predators were recorded. Some unusually large cat tracks in partilally melted snow conditions in conjunction with leopard photographs led to the conclusion that the original casts were those of leopard. Closer examination of the original casts also revealed that they were recorded while the animal or animals were descending down snow-covered slopes, at which time the toes were widely splayed, thus adding to their size. Once the tiger's decline had become well recognized, laws were enacted both in Iran and the USSR giving it total protection. However, such actions did not come soon enough to save it in the wild. No errort was made to develop a captive breeding program, which might also have saved itfrom ectinction.

Features:
The little evidence remaining suggests no more than tentative differences between the Caspian tiger and that of either the Indian Tiger (P.t. tigris) or the Siberian tiger (P.t. altaica). Skins and photographs would suggest that it was of intermediate size up to 290 cm and tail 110 cm, weighing up to 320 Kg. Body was elongated and strong, hand and legs medium sized with wide paws and very large nails. Ears were short and spherical without the appearance of hairs on the tips. Cheek hair was considerably long and body hair thick. Background color of the body was ochre with darker, blackish, less wide stripes. One specimen of its skin kept in the British Museum shows the color of the skin along the back and sides to be yellow-goldish with light brown or dark stripes. The sides are lighter in color in comparison with the back. Underneath belly is white with yellow stripes; face yellow with brown stripes on forehead and white patches around eyes and cheeks. Outer surfac of the legs are yellow, inner parts white. Chest is the same color as belly and tail is formed of yellow and yellowish white stripes.The Caspian tiger has been noted for its long winter coat.

Breeding:
Little is known regarding the biology of the Caspian tiger. It was reported to reproduce once every 2 to 3 years, bearing 2 to 4 cubs per litter. No particular breeding season has been documented. The life span of tigers was about 20 years.

Diet:
Wild Boars, were the main food of Iranian Tiger but they were hunt also: deer, livestock or even smaller mammals, birds and fish, especially when wild prey was depleted.

Distribution in Iran:
It is likely that the domain of the Caspian tiger was the low-land forest and marshes bordering the Caspian Sea (Steppe area of Alborz Mountain, Gilan, Mazandaran, Gorgan and all the line from Astara to Turkman Sahra) and western Khorasan provinces. Unlike the wild boar, its principal wild prey species, it was never recorded on the southern, drier slopes of the Alborz mountains. As the low lands were converted to agricultural land, the tiger likely withdrew to the middle and upper forest belt, to which it was not properly adapted.

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