"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind... and God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:25).
There are eight varieties of tigers. Although they all look much alike, there are differences in their stripe markings. The Bengal and heavily-furred Siberian tigers (the ones most often seen in zoos) are the largest. Some measure 10 feet or more from their noses to the tips of their tails and weigh as much as 550 pounds. There are smaller tigers in India, Turkey, Iran, China, Japan, Java and Sumatra.
Tigers' coats give them their beauty, with black and orange stripes circling their bodies, contrasting with yellow legs and long, white-tipped tails. But their faces, with their glaring eyes and open mouths with sharp fangs, make them rather scary, especially if a rasping snarl comes out. They are not friendly with other tigers unless it is a member of their own family.
It is not hard to see that they are distantly related to the domestic cat you may have in your home. Both of them have loose fur, small ears, long whiskers and sharp claws that are hidden when walking or resting, but spring out as sharp weapons when fighting or capturing an animal. That animal might be an antelope for the tiger or a mouse for your house pet.
Tigers are well camouflaged by the stripes on their coats when in a forest, swampy area, or desert with its tall, dry grass, and by instinct take advantage of this when hunting. For instance, when a tiger is in an area where it is camouflaged and spots a zebra or other animal nearby, the tiger will immediately stop. It may lie perfectly still for an hour or more, until, carefully and silently placing one foot before the other, it sneaks closer.
If nothing betrays the tiger's presence, it will continue its silent approach until close enough to attack. Suddenly, darting out of its hiding place, it will leap on the victim's back and with a bite of its fierce jaws, put a quick end to its victim's life. Then it might call its mate to come and join in the feast. They may take two or three days to eat all of a large animal, but their stomachs will then be so full they won't be interested in hunting for at least another three or four days.
Do you think the Lord God, the Creator, knows what these beasts are doing? Yes, He surely does, and it seems He most often directs them to a feeble or sickly animal that would only suffer in continuing to live with its handicap. Its sudden death is really a merciful way of ending its life, for tigers never torture their prey but kill it quickly. We will consider this more in the next article. Meanwhile, think about the Bible verse that tells us: "For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven [sky]" (Job 28:24). His look of love and kindness is on you too.