Interspecies conflict. Which animal is the ultimate carnivore?

Korean lion and tiger pit fighting:

*There was a great deal of lion and tiger pit fighting held in Korea until 1960. Historic reports say the lion was found very difficult to beat, again due to the head protection afforded by the mane. The film mentioned on the previous page has the tiger as the winner, but this fight would seem to be only one of many that were carried out, and all other reports found, to date, say the lion usually won.

*At this stage the Koreans were using Amur (Siberian) tigers. Being unhappy with the performance of this big cat, and its unwillingness to fight, they extended their search for a tiger which was more vicious.

After trying a number of options they settled for a Bengal from the extreme northern range of the subspecies (the Nepal Valley). These tigers almost matched the Amur subspecies in size and were up to 600 lbs in weight.

Within this Bengal the Koreans are said to have found an almost disturbing ferocity. It is claimed these tigers attacked violently and relentlessly, most often winning in any fight against the lion.

The Koreans also discovered this tendency towards extreme aggressiveness was confined entirely to the tigers of the one area. The great puzzle is why this should be so.

Modern theories suggest the high level of aggression developed after vast numbers of tigers became cut off in a relatively small forest. A dense tiger population in a small area would greatly increase the frequency of territorial confrontation. Competition over the small amount of prey and the available females of breeding age would accelerate the process of natural selection.

Today, as many as 250 tigers are still found in this forest, however there is no current record of a particularly high level of aggression.

Rome:

The makers of the film Gladiator discovered an interesting thing. Their famous tiger fight scenes had to be extensively computer manipulated after the animal actors simply sat down and licked their paws. They were uninterested in attacking humans, even in the name of fame. Of course, these are well-fed and well cared for animals. But what about genuine gladiatorial events? How did this big cat really fair?

* Despite the final appearance given by the movie, tigers were largely unsuccessful in the gladiatorial area. Lions were more popular as they put on an excellent fight display, whereas tigers were surprisingly reluctant to enter into battle. Placed in with lions, the tigers would often simply retreat.

(Continued Page 6)

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