At 800 lbs and over 9 feet from nose to tail, I'm sure you'll agree the Siberian Tiger is the biggest cat that walks today. Its habitat range used to be from the north end of Siberia all the way to China. With the intrusion of man their range now only encomposses small splotches of Siberia. Poaching has taken a terrible tolll on their numbers as did habitat loss. There are only about 200 Siberians left in the wild and up to 800 in captivity. Thanks to the efforts of wildlife biologist Maurice Hornocke, great gains have been made in the knowlege of these magnificent cats.

Poaching is the most dangerous threat that the Siberian tiger faces. Some poachers are not the cold killers looking for a trophy to put in their trophy room. Most poachers are after the big money that can be gotten from the parts of the big cat. The market for tiger parts is big in countries like China and Tiwian who beleive that some parts of the tiger can be used as medicines even aphrodisiacs. Only man can stop the sensless killing of these magnifecnt creatures buy stopping the blackmarket sale of tiger parts. As William Blake wrote, "Tiger Tiger, Burning Bright in the forests of the night" let us work to keep the Tiger fire burining.

There is no set season that tigers can mate. They have been recorded mating any time of the year. When the female comes into season, she stays receptive for only three to seven days. She annoces her readiness to mate by spreading urine deposits around her territory. When the male and female get together they can mate many times during that span. Afterward the male leaves and has nothing else to do with the rearing of his cubs. If impregnated, the female will carry her cubs for 3 to 3 1/2 months to wich then she will find a secluded den to give birth to 2 to 4 cubs. They will be dependant on their mother for about 3 to 5 years which after they will be forced to leave and establish territories of their own.