Tigers!

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Greetings!  What don't I like about tigers?  It is one of those crazy obsessions.  There is something about that orange and black striped beast of nature that I can't explain.  So here's to you, a stripey heads-up on tigers

Some famous Tigers: The Esso Tiger Tony the Tiger HobbesTigger

Interesting Tiger Tales:

• The tiger is the largest member of the cat family.  Specifically the Siberian Tiger is the largest.
• They are strictly carnivore.  Their body naturally produces all the vitamin C that they need.
• Every minute, on the average, a tiger somewhere in the world has killed something to eat!  By the time you would have read this page, some tiger, somewhere is enjoying a fresh kill.
• Tigers eat small prey very quickly.  They eat it all.  They don't have time to mess with the bones and fur.  Their stomach can handle it.
• While Tigers as a species aren't responsible for the greatest number of human deaths (sharks are), an individual tiger is responsible for more human deaths than any other animal.
• A white tiger is not an albino.  A true albino would have near white stripes and pink eyes.  A white tiger has black or brown stripes and icy blue eyes.  It is a rare occurance in nature.  Very few zoos have a white tiger.


Tigers as mascots
 

• The tiger is the most over-used sports-team mascot.  More schools use it than any other beast.
• LSU is one of the few colleges to have a real live tiger as a mascot!
• Auburn, Alabama has the Auburn Tigers
• Clemson, SC. Home of the Clemson Tigers


Tigers in advertising

• Tony the tiger has been selling Frosted Flakes since 1948.  They're gr-r-eat!
• Tony has a little brother - Tony the Tiger Jr.  This cute little guy was selling Frosted Rice in the early 80s.  That product didn't do very well, it has long since disappeared from store shelves.
• The Esso Tiger has been around since the mid 60s.  Put a tiger in your tank!


Tigers as cartoons
 

• Tigger is the oldest cartoon tiger.  Conceived by A. A. Milne in 1926, as part of Winnie the Pooh, well before Disney bought the rights and made a movie.  Of course Tigger looked a lot different back then than he does today.
• There is no Calvin and Hobbes marchandise around because the cartoonist, Bill Watterson, did not license his creations.  Unfortunately the last Calvin and Hobbes cartoon to appear was at the end of 1995.  Bill decided to retire.


Tigers in the circus:
 

• Sigfried and Roy use white tigers in their acts.  If the white tigers decide in mid-act that they tired of working for S&R, and want to change the act and make them disappear, S&R are going to need a lot more than their magic to save themselves from certain doom.
• A white tiger is every bit as dangerous as his orange brethern.  A 400 lb white tiger was responsible for the deaths of two people in a family run circus.  First he killed the trainer, then the owner's wife.  The trainer was called early in the morning to 'tame' the anxious white tiger.  He forgot to put on his glasses as he stumbled out of bed.  Well, not seeing where he was going, he tripped right in front of the tiger, and you guessed it, the tiger bolted and went for the jugular.  By the time they got that huge cat off of him, he was a goner.  Remember, if a 400 lb tiger bolts, there's no way you can stop it.
• Most tigers are treated inhumanely in circuses.  Before you go to see one, ask to make sure the tigers are receiving the care they need.


Tigers in captivity:
 

• Simply put, Tigers don't belong in zoos.
• Tiger Truck Stop, Grosse Tete, Louisiana.
• Hovatter's Zoo, Kingwood WV .

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Copyright 2001-02, Tigerdude.com
Page created Aug 13, 2001
Last updated Feb 7, 2002