Jewel # 294 (August 18, 2017)

“And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

Fierce Tigers - Part 2

“O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou

made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches.”

(Psalm 104:24)

In the last issue we looked at some similarities between tigers and house cats.  Here is one difference—while our pet cats don’t like getting even a paw in water, tigers love to play in water or even swim in it, sometimes swimming great distances.

Baby tigers are cute and interesting.  Females usually have two to six cubs in a litter, and they are born blind and helpless.  However, the cubs don’t lose any time finding their mother’s milk, just as kittens do.  They nurse until they are large enough to eat meat, which the mother teaches them to catch for themselves.  The male ignore them, so the mother cares for them for about two years, until they have learned how to be on their own.

Except for swimming, tigers will not mix with other tigers and will fight any that come too near.  When one has eaten its fill of a kill and there is some left over, it will not let other tigers have it.  Instead, it covers the carcass with rocks or branches to hide it for later.

We mentioned that the two largest tigers are the Bengal and the Siberian.  Although the Bengal is the strongest, the Siberian is the most beautiful.  Its golden-brown body fur with narrow, black stripes contrasts beautifully with the solid-white fur on its face.  It has black stripes down the inside of its lower jaw and throat, as well as its front legs.

There are some exceptions to the usual orange and black tiger colours.  The Bengals, for example, sometimes have white fur all over, ringed with the usual black stripes.  But they do not live separate from the others that have the orange and black colouring.

Although fierce hunters, tigers live peaceably with hippos, rhinos and elephants.  They seem to know that, in spite of sharp claws and strong teeth, they would be no match for those huge beasts.  They just ignore one another.  Tourists, wishing to get a picture of these beauties, ride on elephants—sometimes arranged in groups—and a native guide leads them.  Strangely, the tigers don’t seem to mind this and at times even seem to be posing to have their pictures taken.

Some might ask, “Why did the Creator make tigers so vicious?”  Actually, God made them tame and gentle, but when sin came into the world, a sad change came to many creatures.  They will remain that way until God will make them peaceful again.  When that time comes, all who now know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour will be in a far more beautiful and happy place—heaven itself.  Will you be there?

Love you all - Grandpa    

Jewel # 293 (August 4, 2017)

“And they shall be Mine, saith  the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren 

Fierce Tigers - Part 1

“God made the beast of the earth after his kind . . . and God saw that it was good.”

(Genesis1:25)

There are eight varieties of tigers.  Although all look much alike, there are differences in their strip markings.  The Bengal and heavily furred Siberian tigers (the two kinds 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.

The coats of tigers, give them their beauty, with black and orange stripes circling their bodies and long white-tipped tails.  But a close-up look at their faces, with glaring eyes and open mouths with  sharp fangs, makes them rather scary, especially if a rasping snarl comes out!  They are not friendly with other tigers, unless it’s a member of their own family.

It is easy to see that they are 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 are extended as sharp weapons when fighting or capturing an animal.

Tigers are well camouflaged by the stripes on their coats when in a forest, swampy area or desert that has tall, dry grass. By instinct they take advantage of this when hunting.  For example, 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 soundlessly, it creeps  closer.

If nothing betrays the tiger’s presence, it will continue its silent approach until close enough to attack.  Then suddenly, darting out of its hiding place, it leaps on the victim and, with a bite of its powerful jaws, quickly ends its victim’s life.  Then it might call its mate to join in the feast.  They may take two or three days to eat a large animal.  Their stomachs will then be so full that they won’t be interested in hunting for 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 often directs them to a weak 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, since tigers never torture their prey—they kill it quickly.  We will consider this more in the next issue. (Part 2).

Meanwhile, think about the Bible verse that tells us: “God looks to the ends of the earth and sees under the whole sky” (Job 28:24).  He looks on you with love and kindness.

(To be continued)

Love you all - grandpa