Oh my, what a handsome cat! It can only be Shere Khan, an Amur tiger cub (Panthera tigris altacia) from Jungle Cat World.

Tigers have developed both fear and reverence across their range. In China, the tiger was once considered the king of beasts for a peculiar reason. The horizontal stripes on the tiger's forehead look quite similar to a Chinese character for "king" (王). It was an auspicious symbol and was one of many reasons the tiger had such a strong status in ancient Chinese culture, myth and legend.

Shere Khan might not be a mighty king just yet, but he definitely makes for an adorable and charming prince.

---

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.