I Stared into the Eyes of A Tiger and Felt Peace
Photo by Joshua Lee on Unsplash
The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College.
ORLANDO – (OPINION) Though the lion is known as the King of Beasts, the tiger is the Queen of the Jungle. In fact, the largest cat species in the world is actually the tiger.
Panthera tigris is currently the only recognized tiger species, with five living subspecies: the Bengal tiger, Sumatran Tiger, South China Tiger, Indochinese Tiger and the Siberian Tiger. There used to be eight subspecies, but three have gone extinct: the Bali, Caspian and Javan tigers. Siberian tigers are the biggest of the living species: the males can weigh up to 660 pounds and measure up to 10 feet long. Sumatran tigers are the smallest of the tiger subspecies, weighing up to 310 pounds and measuring about 8 feet long. Found in Asia as far as Eastern Russia and as south as the island of Sumatra, every tiger has a unique stripe pattern, similar to how each human has a unique fingerprint.
Over the years, I've found myself collecting tiger-themed things, from stuffed animals to pajamas covered in roaring tiger patterns. I don’t remember exactly when I began to associate tigers as my favorite animal, but I do remember having multiple ‘aha!’ moments during 2022, the Year of the Tiger. During spring break of that year, I bought a ticket to the Bronx Zoo to see them as close as I could possibly get. While I don’t necessarily like the concept of zoos, sometimes they are vital in protecting endangered species. At the Bronx Zoo, tigers reside in an exhibit called Tiger Mountain. When I got to Tiger Mountain, I found myself tearing up. In front of me, separated only by glass, was a beautiful 400+ pound Siberian tiger. He gave me a quick glance as he padded around his compound, one side of him caked in mud from lying in the wetter part of the enclosure. I saw one other tiger in there with him, and possibly others who had moved to a less visible side. However, that probably isn’t how they’d live in the wild.
Out of all the wild cats, tigers are the most reserved. As solitary animals, they prefer to hunt alone and tend to have large, marked territories. Once tigers mate, they go their separate ways afterward. And once a tiger has had her cubs, they will stay with her for about two years before maturing and going off on their own.
I felt sad to leave my Siberian tiger friend, but there were different educational facts on signs and informative staged set-ups on the way out. One sign said that there are only 5,000 tigers left in the wild. As of 2023, that number has sadly dropped to 4,500. Humans have, of course, contributed to problems such as habitat loss, a contributing factor to the dwindling tiger population. But another heartbreaking and disturbing reason is that tiger parts are still used in traditional medicines and are hunted for those parts.
On the black market, wildlife parts are third on the highest profit list, only under drugs and weapons. The sale of those parts cashes out at almost $6 billion each year internationally. An informative set-up showed a wooden cart stocked with faux containers of these “tiger medicines.” Every part of the tiger can be used in these barbaric treatments, from their whiskers, believed to cure toothaches, to their fat, used as a balm for rheumatism. It truly broke my heart to see these precious animals being killed for such reasons.
When I moved back to my hometown of Orlando, Florida, tigers followed me. While on my laptop, one day, I discovered a place with a wonderful mission to help save the tiger and other big cats like lions, leopards and panthers. It’s a big cat sanctuary called the Central Florida Animal Reserve, or CFAR and lies on the outskirts of Orlando in Osceola County. It’s not a zoo; this conservatory is dedicated to truly taking care of big cats. Their logo is a tiger, with three words underneath: “Compassion. Conservation. Commitment.” I was impressed by their website’s statement, “This non-profit facility serves big cats that would otherwise not have a home. We are on a mission to preserve these magnificent animals and to act as stewards for their care and well-being. At CFAR, when it comes to big cats, it’s about vision.” I bookmarked the site, planning to visit as soon as I got a chance.
A few months went by, and the site was still bookmarked. Then suddenly, I found myself in the midst of a tough, personal situation. It was my last semester of college, and I certainly didn’t have the energy to deal with it. It was hard to get up in the morning because I was going to sleep in the morning, at 5 a.m., sometimes almost six. My eating habits became horrendous, and my eyes were swollen from crying all the time. I hated feeling so out of control. I knew something had to change, or things would go from bad to worse.
After a session with my health coach, we talked about going to CFAR to connect with my favorite animal and gather some strength by being in their presence. I needed the tiger’s strength, their composure, their fighting spirit. So I finally booked my $25 guided tour at CFAR on a Sunday afternoon.
It was a 45-minute drive from where I live, but I’m so glad I went that day. I was greeted by Dr. K “Simba” Wiltz, the CEO of CFAR and Senior Vice President since 2002. At the beginning of the tour, he mentioned that it was meant to be interactive and not to hesitate if I had any questions or remarks. Of course, we had a good discussion. For instance, on the topic of tigers being solitary animals, he told me that recent research has actually discovered something fascinating about tiger relationships. Discoveries have been made that sometimes, tigers leave food for their mates or protect the area they know their mate lives in.
He also shared more heart-wrenching facts in the same vein as tigers and traditional medicine. That is, as opposed to India, where laws protect tigers as the national animal. In China, tigers are raised to be killed. While there are about 5,000 captive tigers in the United States, it is estimated that there are over 8,000 captive tigers in Asia, the majority of them in China. Dr. Wiltz mentioned that a $10,000 “tiger soup” is made and served in a tiger’s paw in China. It’s served and eaten as a sign of wealth, showing off that one can afford such extravagances at the cost of a tiger's life.
I was still reeling from the soup fact when we approached the open-air enclosure of two young sister tigers, Aurora and Tiana—and yes, just like the Disney princesses. It was kind of insane how the only thing separating us was the chain link around the enclosure and about five feet of distance. I saw Aurora looking at me, and we locked eyes. Her eyes were the most stunning blend of turquoise and amber. Dr. Wiltz didn’t say a word for a moment. My eyes swelled with tears, but Aurora’s gaze never wavered. Her face was calm, like she was looking past my eyes into my soul.
Some people’s adrenaline levels would shoot up if a tiger ever got within five feet of them. I could’ve sat and stared at Aurora for hours. Looking into her eyes, I felt a sense of peaceful reassurance wash over me. There were no signs of a snarl on her face, no roaring. She just looked at me as if she was saying, “You’re going to be just fine.” I hope that with the help of conservation spaces like CFAR and people like Dr. Wiltz, her species will be just fine too.
When I turned 21 during the Year of the Tiger, I bought myself a fairly inexpensive tiger necklace from Forever 21. I’ve worn it almost every single day since then, and the gold varnish has rubbed off and faded, revealing the silvery metal underneath. But unlike my necklace, we must not let the tiger’s existence fade from this world.
Brianna Jacobs is a senior at The King’s College studying Journalism, Culture and Society. She currently serves as Intern and writer at Religion Unplugged. Jacobs loves disco and 80s J-Pop and dreams of becoming a DJ who specifically plays those genres.