“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
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