Tigers are large cats endemic to Asia. Historically, they have a wide distribution range and a very large number in Asia. From cold Siberia to tropical Indonesia, there were once nine tiger subspecies in Asia.

Tigers are large cats endemic to Asia. Historically, they have a wide distribution range and a very large number in Asia. From cold Siberia to tropical Indonesia, there were once nine tiger subspecies in Asia. But now, three subspecies of tigers have become extinct, and even the remaining six subspecies are on the verge of extinction.

We are all familiar with tigers. They are very dangerous animals and sometimes attack domestic animals and humans. But even so, we still have to protect them, so why should we do this? The extinction of the Xinjiang tiger has given us the answer

The Xinjiang tiger, also known as Caspian tiger , is the third largest tiger, slightly smaller than Bengal tiger , and is also the subspecies of the tiger population that can best adapt to arid environments. In the early 19th century, there were many rivers, lakes and oases in the Tarim River area, which provided a habitat for Xinjiang tigers. They could hunt wild boars and antelopes in the dense bushes, and their food was very abundant, so even though their habitats were scattered, their numbers were still large.

But in the following decades, the number of Xinjiang tigers began to decrease rapidly, eventually leading to extinction. Although there are many historical records about the existence of Xinjiang tigers, so far, there are no image data and specimens of Xinjiang tigers, which I have to say is a big regret.

The main reasons leading to their extinction are nothing more than two: First, the poaching behavior that we are all familiar with, because tiger skins and tiger bones are very valuable medicinal materials and can be sold at high prices. Driven by profit, humans over-hunt tigers. As the saying goes, there is no killing without buying and selling. This is a very important reason for the extinction of tigers in Xinjiang.

The second important reason is the impact of human activities. Due to excessive human damage to natural resources, extensive deforestation, and wetlands have also been destroyed. Finally, in order to compete for land, humans destroyed the original ecosystem. As a result, large numbers of rivers in Xinjiang have dried up, and once lush oases have now turned into deserts. The living environment of the Xinjiang tiger was gone, which directly led to the extinction of the Xinjiang tiger, because there was no longer enough prey for the tiger to capture.

Therefore, it was not until 1916 that the Xinjiang tiger was officially declared extinct. After the Xinjiang tiger disappeared, Xinjiang's ecosystem was imbalanced. The antelopes and bison here had no natural enemies, so they multiplied in large numbers. Since they were herbivores, they invaded the already fragile Gobi grassland. Soon after, many grasslands were directly barren, so these places became deserts. This is an irreversible natural phenomenon. In addition, even the original pastures have turned into deserts, which has deprived herders who relied on grazing for a living because there is no longer enough pasture for them to graze, which has led to some serious economic problems. It can be seen that if in an ecological chain, the species at the top of the food chain become extinct, other herbivores will have no natural enemies, and they will multiply in large numbers. If there are too many herbivores, they will cause great damage to the vegetation, thus bringing irreparable consequences to the ecosystem.

I believe that after seeing this, many friends will think of a story in the biology textbook in middle school. There were wolves and many herbivores living in a forest. One day, humans drove away all the wolves in the forest, leaving only the docile herbivores.But just a few years later, the number of herbivores increased several times. They even ate up the forest, and they all gained weight. People who saw this felt very heavy, and finally decided to send a few wolves back to the forest. From then on, the forest returned to its former vitality.

It can be seen that, like tigers, Animals at the top of the food chain, the greatest benefit of their existence to us is to balance the ecology. As top predators, they control the number of herbivores in the area, which keeps the herbivores in a relatively stable and balanced state. Once control is lost, the number of herbivores will inevitably expand, which will intensify the depletion of resources and eventually cause serious degradation of grass and trees. Although tigers do pose a threat to humans or livestock, they usually like to live in dense forests and rarely approach human settlements, so they pose a very small threat to humans and livestock, not even as good as some small animals.

The disappearance of any element in nature may be irreversible, which will eventually lead to backlash on humans themselves. Biodiversity supports all life on earth, including ourselves. Every living thing has its own meaning. Because of this, the ecosystem can exist healthily and for a long time. Therefore, in order to protect our own home, we must protect this beautiful big cat!