Born To Be Wild: Tiger Persecution and Advocacy From 1800 to the Present

The tiger (Panthera tigris) was once abundant in many of Asia’s forests. The entire species now hovers dangerously close to extinction. Population declines within the last two centuries are blamed largely on loss of habitat, reductions in prey species, poaching, and human-tiger conflict. Modern tiger conservation efforts focus on reintroducing formerly captive tigers to designated protected wild areas. Re-wilding and reintroduction programs teach survival skills to tiger cubs raised in zoo collections. Merging in situ and ex situ research collaborations is the twenty-first century’s interdisciplinary answer to the tiger’s plight in the wild. The zoo is viewed in terms of its role as an institution that represents societal values that shift in concurrence with shifting paradigms. This thesis studies the human-tiger relationship and analyzes three defining periods that occurred between 1800 and the present. The first period occurred during the nineteenth century, the second took place from the early through the late twentieth century and the third picked up where the second left off and is the one we are presently engaged in. The tiger is investigated in two different ways throughout — for its importance in human history and culture conceptually, and in the biological sense in terms of its importance as umbrella species within its own ecosystem.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Science and Technology Studies

Department dc:contributor.department

Science and Technology Studies

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Norris, Katheryn Malcolm

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Patzig, Eileen Crist

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Barrow, Mark V. Jr.
• Goodrum, Matthew R.

• tigerwallah
• rewilding
• reintroduction
• persecution
• man-eater
• ethics
• Pathera tigris
• environmental enrichment
• conservation
• advocacy

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-06032005-162347

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/33398