I wanted to do something special for this one so I figured I would tell you a little story in addition to the usual facts I try to offer. Plus it's a tiger so... that's cool in its own way.

In this photo, Nadya (Siberian/Amur tiger) from Jungle Cat World checks you out!

Tigers have a number of ways to communicate using vocalizations and just about everyone knows they can roar and growl; however, not too many people know how they say hello!

In close quarters, tigers will express greetings and friendly intentions using what is called prusten or "chuffing". This is a series of puffs of air through the nose which produces a fluttering sound. It is a happy sound that reinforces camaraderie. You can listen to it here (http://www.wulistudio.com/chuff.html ). At Jungle Cat World, chuffs can be heard quite frequently; tigers are raised to feel comfortable around people and caretakers become friends. If you can mimic prusten, chances are that they will return the gesture. Major zoos tend to limit tiger-human interaction and tigers there will be less inclined to talk to visitors; however, I've been able to get a few chuffs out of a couple of tigers at the Toronto Zoo by mimicking prusten.

Prusten actually had a significant influence on not only my career, but my entire life's mission. In 2004, I began to get interested in tigers and I spent many hours learning about them. I learned about how populations were being wiped out for traditional Chinese medicines and that they were still in serious trouble. I also learned about their behaviour and how prusten can be used in greetings. When I went to a zoo and met a tiger for the first time, I was able to mimic prusten. Sure enough, it said hello back. Considering all I knew about tigers beforehand was that they were dangerous killing machines, this was a profound moment. I felt the tiger had accepted me. I began thinking about how they were in trouble and needed help. It was then that I made the decision to help, which entailed a dramatic change in career. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I was going to try my hardest to make sure that I was involved and making a difference. Four years later and at 22 years of age, I became part of the International Tiger Coalition ( http://www.savethetigerfund.org/Con.....on/default.htm ). I'm not looking back and am giving it all I have...I don't know how I will do the things I want to do, but I know now that the most important thing is to act and things can fall into place.

Prusten helped me awaken to understand what I am destined to do. It says a lot about what a little chuff love can do.

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Tigers are the largest of the big cats and are exclusively found in Asia from India to Vietnam, from Indonesia to the Russian Far East. The tiger can be divided into 9 subspecies: 4 are currently critically endangered and 3 are already extinct. Though estimations of tiger populations only a few years ago was 5,500-6,000, today populations are likely closer to 3,500 and are still declining. Dramatic declines of the tiger in India, thought to host the majority of the world's tigers, have fallen to less than 1,411. Overall, the past decade has seen a 40% reduction in tiger habitat, which now represents a mere 7% of its historic range. Poaching is a significant problem throughout the tiger's range, the demand for its body parts in traditional medicines, tonics, and exotic dishes driving a lucrative trade that is wiping out entire populations. Long-term threats include habitat fragmentation and prey depletion, which is accelerating the tiger's demise and subsequently reducing the long-term genetic viability of many populations.

If you want to help, the best for you to do is to educate yourself (http://www.savethetigerfund.org), never buy products made from tigers or endangered species (http://www.wildaid.org), and tell others. Contact me for more information.