NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40649
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Tonight on the TV was a programme which showed the first part of a film of two Bengal Tigers being 'trained' for the "wild" in South Africa.
Below is a description of the programme:
The World Around Us - Living with Tigers - Part 1 (60 mins , Rated: G)
Genre: Documentary
Witness the story of two Bengal tigers born in captivity, who have spent three years being taught how to hunt and live in the wilds of South Africa. If they are successfully integrated into the wild, they could become the forerunners of an audacious plan to help save the world's population of wild tigers. Follow the journey as these babies grow from cuddly cubs to professional assassins.
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I found the programme quite interesting being fascinated by tigers. The fact it was in South Africa is a bit odd, but that is where the guys that have done it with lions in the past are based.
Myself I find the idea intriguing. Imagine purchasing, breeding, training and releasing large numbers of currently captive tigers into a hunting reserve where given time, new offspring could provide a legal hunting opportunity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
What do you think of the idea, the programme or anything related to the topic?
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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500Nitro
.450 member
Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
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NitroX
I saw the program and apart from Tigers in Africa, I thought the whole thing
was very well done. The trainers processes, small to big game, training,
camera work, story telling - the whole process.
None of the "sensationalist" commentary. It may well be the way for species to survive.
I was also amazed at just how adaptable AND fast the tigers were.
I really didn't think a Tiger could catch a running Ostrich !!!
All in all I enjoyed it.
500 Nitro
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shakari
.400 member
Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa
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I think you'll find that the documentary was made a few years ago and since it was made there has been a very expensive court case regarding the ownership of the tigers & other issues.
As far as I can remember the tigers were donated by (if I remember correctly) the Chinese government and they ended up on an area owned by one of the more famous SA families. - I can't remember the details of the court case but get an idea that money was one of the issues....... Looked to me like a sad case of good intentions not mixing well with politics......
Either way (assuming it was the same programme we had here) it was very an interesting concept and good entetainment.
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Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
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Bigfive
Sponsor
Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 362
Loc: Freestate,South-Africa
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Very very interesting.Did they mention in wich area of south-africa NitroX??I think it is a really good Idea and this wil give us hunters in future an oppertunity to hunt these animals.Being the hunter I always welcome the protection of endangered species and in fact al other species because this sort of garuantee our future as being hunters.
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"Hunting is a way of life"
Bigfive,South Africa
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Bakes
.375 member
Reged: 31/01/03
Posts: 589
Loc: QLD
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Great footage. I didn't think a tiger would catch the big chicken either, can a lion?
The show was selling the idead that they were saving the tiger's blah blah blah. I would like a show to tell the real motives. I mean they might of been trying to save the tiger and they might be breeding for tiger hunts who knows. It just seems that every thing these days has to have a "save the....." (insert what ever animal) spin to it. It was good footage though. 
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Peterb
.333 member
Reged: 07/07/04
Posts: 288
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I'd prefer to see them let loose in Massachusetts.
But think of the Ligers they might produce. I knew there was something one could use a 700 Nitro on.
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Mpofu
.300 member
Reged: 02/01/03
Posts: 141
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I had the misfortune of watching a video of this rather distasteful bit of trash.
My reasons, as a passionate lover of the Indian Tiger are this....
The producer, teams up with a Lion/Tiger tamer from the US and claims he intends releasing this pair into the wilds of India....I cannot imagine the Indian authorities giving him permission to execute such a plan..ie..Were the animals DNA tested, or were they going to take a chance and pollute the gene pool of the wild tigers in the area of the planned release.Where exactly were the Tigers going to be released?
The handler spends most of the programme 'humanising' the tigers. How does this prepare them for the wild?
The scenes of the Tigers 'apparently' hunting, are poorly set up...ie.. throwing giunea fowl at the tigers from somewhere behind the cameraman ( probably wing clipped), and the sad scene of the tigers in the same river bed, waiting for the plainsgame to be funnelled/driven into them.
The plans to breed from a litter brother and sister...ever heard of in-breeding?
Celebrating because the Tigers are following a scent trail...Corbett, Anderson and a host of experts on Tigers state that the Tiger has virtually no sense of smell.
The handler stating that when attacked by a Tiger, either put your hand down it's throat, or bite it's nose....Really !!? Either method would ensure you lose an arm or your head at the very least.
I always thought playing possum was the only chance one had, unless it was a maneater, in which case, goodnight vienna !
How can training a tiger in African habitat, on African game, prepare a Tiger for the wilds of India?
The claim was made, erroneously, that this would be the first attempt at releasing Tiger in the wilds of India. Not true. Billy Arjan Singh did it,successfully, many years
ago, both with Tiger and Leopard.
Humbly submitted,
M.
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rgp
.333 member
Reged: 17/06/04
Posts: 373
Loc: TX & VIC
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I think a lot of zoos have done the breeding of wild cat hybrids for over a hundred years now, mostly so that they could claim to have something unusual as an attraction to boost attendance and revenues.
Richard
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prof242
.275 member
Reged: 10/02/04
Posts: 54
Loc: Colorado, USA
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My thoughts go to the two-legged ostrich and what other warm-blooded, two-legged species in Africa might be easier to catch? Hmmm. Could we release them in the capitol of Zimbabwe? 
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Politically correct = morally wrong
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