Bengal Tigers
Beauties and the Beasts

Meet Bengal tigers - animals carrying an incredible might and power with a dignified elegance of kings of the wilderness.

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Bengal Tigers 

      So here you are - the kingdom of magnificent Bengal tigers. And we promise even more - some of them as you will see on the next pages, are very rare white tigers! The bottom line - you are in the right place to experience the raw beauty of these "royal" animals....

        These pictures were taken in Tenerife (Canary Islands) - correspondingly in the Loro Parque and Jungle Park – two impressive enclaves of "engineered" wilderness in these Happy Islands.

Bengal Tigers - I'm still amazed by the fact that I was able to take so powerful and moving pictures....

You may agree with me that the safest meeting with these kings of wilderness is when you are comfortably sitting in front of a computer :-). And the best is that in the safety of your room, you can look at them "eye-to-eye"….

         Just to give you the fresh start: Bengal tigers called also Royal Bengal Tigers come from India (where the majority of existing species live these days), Bangladesh, and to the smaller extent - Nepal, Burma, and Bhutan. For many, it may be too costly to travel there and meet them in their natural habitat. And for all of us - it will be just too dangerous to cross the path with them on their territory. 

The good news however is that today you can watch them not only in Zoo Parks but also on these pages.

It can't be seen, but tigers have here quite large acreage for themselves... 

Relaxing afternoon ....

     Bengal tigers for long were admired for their beauty, power, might, and fierce hunting skills (to make the list short).

No wonder that the Bengal tiger has been a national symbol of India since “the beginning of the recorded history” (similarly as in Europe most countries opted for the symbol of the eagle, but we may agree that it was only due to lack of tigers in this part of the world.).

Many Bengal tigers in zoo parks are "genetically polluted" hybrids, as a result of inter-breeding with Siberian tigers. This practice unfortunately spills also to the conservation efforts when sometimes hybrid captive-bred tiger cubes are released into the wilderness.

Regrettably, poaching activity is more than decimating the wild population of tigers. We just have to hope and keep crossed fingers that these beautiful animals will survive as a species in nature despite relentless pressure from what we call "civilization" (sometimes I feel a more appropriate name will be: "uncivilized civilization").

I regret that you cannot see the grace and elegance of their movement

     Hoping for the best, in the mean-time let’s enjoy these beauties and beasts. You may also admit seeing these tiger pictures that the "engineered" wilderness seems to stand up to the real meaning of "wilderness" – at least in these two zoo parks. Frankly - I have always mixed feelings regarding the old dilemma – watching animals in nature or in zoo parks. The first option has well-known limitations ($$$), the second one often brings feelings of sorrow when we realize that for our pleasure, we are "cutting wings" of these mighty creatures.

Please believe me however that these two (specifically Loro Parque) made the best efforts to make it "dream-come-true" kind of environment for animals.

Needless to say that the climate on the Canary Islands is very helpful to make it happen.

I hope that you found interesting this first page and are ready to explore more facts, secrets, and pictures of felines - be it Bengal tigers as well as white tigers, lions (including white lions), and black jaguars on the following pages. 

See reflections from the visit to the Loro Parque by clicking: Visit to Loro Parque

If you want to see the unusual in the world of big cats like white tigers then either click on the left picture or select the following link:
 White Tigers 

You can also choose to see the power and beauty of black jaguars and leopards by clicking: Jaguars and Leopards 

Breaking news - 2011
New-born white lion cubs in the Zoo of Buenos Aires. To see them either click on the left picture or select the following link: White Lions Cubs

If you enjoyed this visit, then please share your experience with friends :-)

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