Editing Tiger (section)

== Relationship with humans ==
[[File:ElephantbackTigerHunt.jpg|thumb|Tiger hunting on elephant-back in India, 1808|alt=Painting of people hunting tigers on elephant-back]]

=== Hunting ===
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{{Main|Tiger hunting}}
Tigers have been hunted by humans for millennia, as indicated by a painting on the [[Bhimbetka rock shelters]] in India that is dated to 5,000–6,000 years ago. They were hunted throughout their range in Asia, chased on horseback, elephant-back or even with sled dogs and killed with spears and later firearms. Such hunts were conducted both by Asian governments and empires like the [[Mughal Empire]], as well as European colonists. Tigers were often hunted as [[trophy hunting|trophies]] and because of their perceived danger.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=187–200}} An estimated 80,000 tigers were killed between 1875 and 1925.<ref name="Tiger-hunting">{{cite book |year=2005 |title=The Treasures of Indian Wildlife |location=Mumbai |publisher=Bombay Natural History Society |pages=22–27 |chapter=The Manpoora Tiger (about a Tiger Hunt in Rajpootanah) |editor1=Kothari, A. S. |editor2=Chhapgar, B. S. |editor3=Chhapgar, B. F. |isbn=0195677285 }}</ref>{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=193}}

===Attacks===
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{{main|Tiger attack}}
[[File:Sundarban Tiger.jpg|thumb|A Bengal tiger in the [[Sundarban]]s|alt=Tiger standing along the banks of a mangrove swamp]]
In most areas, tigers avoid humans, but attacks are a risk wherever people coexist with them.<ref name=conflict/><ref name=Goodrich2010>{{cite journal|last1=Goodrich|first1=J. M. |year=2010 |title=Human–tiger conflict: A review and call for comprehensive plans |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=300–312 |doi=10.1111/j.1749-4877.2010.00218.x |doi-access=free |pmid=21392348}}</ref> Dangerous encounters are more likely to occur in [[Edge effects|edge]] habitats between wild and agricultural areas.<ref name=conflict>Nyhus, P. J. & Tilson, R. (2010). "''Panthera tigris'' vs ''Homo sapiens'': Conflict, coexistence, or extinction?" in {{harvnb|Tilson|Nyhus|2010|pp=125–142}}</ref> Most attacks on humans are defensive, including protection of young; however, tigers do sometimes see people as prey.<ref name=Goodrich2010/> [[Man-eating animal#Tigers|Man-eating]] tigers tend to be old and disabled.<ref name=Miquelle/> Tigers driven from their home ranges are also at risk of turning to man-eating.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=108–110}}

At the beginning of the 20th century, the [[Champawat Tiger]] was responsible for over 430 human deaths in Nepal and India before she was shot by [[Jim Corbett]].{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=276}} This tigress suffered from broken teeth and was unable to kill normal prey. Modern authors speculate that sustaining on meagre human flesh forced the cat to kill more and more.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=73–74}} Tiger attacks were particularly high in Singapore during the mid-19th century, when plantations expanded into the tiger's habitat.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Powell |first=M. A. |year=2016 |title=People in peril, environments at risk: coolies, tigers, and colonial Singapore's ecology of poverty |journal=Environment and History |volume=22|issue=3|pages=455–482|doi=10.3197/096734016X14661540219393 |jstor=24810674|bibcode=2016EnHis..22..455P |hdl=10356/88201 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> In the 1840s, the number of deaths in the area ranged from 200 to 300 annually.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=274}} [[Tiger attacks in the Sundarbans]] caused 1,396 human deaths in the period 1935–2006 according to official records of the [[Forest Department (Bangladesh)|Bangladesh Forest Department]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barlow, A. C. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Ahmad, I. |author3=Smith, J. L. |year=2013 |title=Profiling tigers (''Panthera tigris'') to formulate management responses to human-killing in the Bangladesh Sundarbans |journal=Wildlife Biology in Practice |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=30–39 |doi=10.2461/wbp.2013.9.6|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }}</ref> Victims of these attacks are local villagers who enter the tiger's domain to collect resources like wood and honey. Fishermen have been particularly common targets. Methods to counter tiger attacks have included face masks worn backwards, protective clothes, sticks and carefully stationed electric dummies.{{sfn|Mills|2004|pp=111–113}}

===Captivity===
{{Multiple image |align= right |direction=vertical|image1=Clean Toes are a Tiger's Friend (15588882074).jpg |caption1=Tiger at [[Big Cat Rescue]] in 2014 |image2=Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus Gunther Gebel-Williams 1969.jpg |caption2=Publicity photo of animal trainer [[Gunther Gebel-Williams]] with several of his trained tigers, {{circa}} 1969|alt=Tiger behind a fence (top) and black-and-white photo of man kneeing in front of six tigers lying down with circus audience in background}}

Tigers have been kept in captivity since ancient times. In [[ancient Rome]], tigers were displayed in [[amphitheatre]]s; they were slaughtered in [[venatio]] hunts and used to [[Damnatio ad bestias|kill criminals]].<ref>Manfredi, P. "The Tiger in the Ancient World" in {{harvnb|Thapar|2004|p=173}}</ref> The Mongol ruler [[Kublai Khan]] is reported to have kept tigers in the 13th century. Starting in the [[Middle Ages]], tigers were being kept in European [[menagerie]]s.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=179–180}} Tigers and other exotic animals were mainly used for the entertainment of elites but from the 19th century onward, they were exhibited more to the public. Tigers were particularly big attractions and their captive population soared.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=126–130}} In 2020, there were over 8,000 captive tigers in Asia, over 5,000 in the US and no less than 850 in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|title=EU's 'unlikely' role in global tiger trade revealed in new WWF, TRAFFIC report|publisher=World Wildlife Fund for Nature|date=30 September 2020|url=https://tigers.panda.org/?916741/EU-tigers-trade-WWF-report|accessdate=6 June 2023}}</ref> There are more tigers in captivity than in the wild.<ref name=Lou2008/> Captive tigers may display [[Stereotypy (non-human)|stereotypical behaviour]]s such as pacing or inactivity. Modern zoos are able to reduce such behaviours with exhibits designed so the animals can move between separate but connected enclosures.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=K. D.|last2=Snider|first2=R. J. |last3=Dembiec |first3=D. P.|last4=Siegford|first4=J. M.|last5=Ali|first5=A. B.|year=2023|title=Effects of a modern exhibit design on captive tiger welfare |journal=Zoo Biology|volume=42|issue=3|pages=371–382|doi=10.1002/zoo.21746|pmid=36478300 |doi-access=free |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Enrichment items are also important for the cat's welfare and the stimulation of its natural behaviours.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Damasceno |first1=J. |last2=Genaro |first2=G. |last3=Quirke |first3=T. |last4=McCarthy |first4=S. |last5=McKeown |first5=S. |last6=O'Riordan |first6=R. |year=2017|title=The effects of intrinsic enrichment on captive felids |journal=Zoo Biology |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=186–192 |doi=10.1002/zoo.21361|pmid=29165868 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>

Tigers have played prominent roles in [[circus]]es and other live performances. [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus|Ringling Bros]] included many tiger tamers in the 20th century including [[Mabel Stark]], who became a big draw and had a long career. She was well known for being able to control the tigers despite being a small woman; using "manly" tools like whips and guns. Another trainer was [[Clyde Beatty]], who used chairs, whips and guns to provoke tigers and other beasts into acting fierce and allowed him to appear courageous. He would perform with as many as 40 tigers and lions in one act. From the 1960s onward, trainers like [[Gunther Gebel-Williams]] would use gentler methods to control their animals. [[Sara Houcke]] was dubbed "the Tiger Whisperer" as she trained the cats to obey her by whispering to them.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=202–204}} [[Siegfried & Roy]] became famous for performing with white tigers in [[Las Vegas]]. The act ended in 2003 when a tiger attacked Roy during a performance.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=140–141}} In 2009, tigers were the most traded circus animals.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Iossa |first1=G. |last2=Soulsbury |first2=C. D. |last3=Harris |first3=S. |date=2009 |title=Are wild animals suited to a travelling circus life? |journal=Animal Welfare |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=129–140 |doi=10.1017/S0962728600000270 |s2cid=32259865 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The use of tigers and other animals in shows eventually declined in many countries due to pressure from [[animal rights]] groups and greater desires from the public to see them in more natural settings. Several countries restrict or ban such acts.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|pp=204–205}}

Tigers have become popular in the [[exotic pet]] trade, particularly in the United States{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=214}} where only 6% of the captive tiger population in 2020 were being housed in zoos and other facilities approved by the [[Association of Zoos and Aquariums]].<ref name=Worldwildlife/> Private collectors are thought to be ill-equipped to provide proper care for tigers, which compromises their welfare. They can also threaten public safety by allowing people to interact with them.<ref name=Worldwildlife>{{cite web |author=Henry, L. |date=2020 |title=5 Things Tiger King Doesn't Explain About Captive Tigers |website=World Wildlife Fund for Nature |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/5-things-tiger-king-doesn-t-explain-about-captive-tigers |accessdate=19 February 2024 |archive-date=20 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220001943/https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/5-things-tiger-king-doesn-t-explain-about-captive-tigers |url-status=live}}</ref> The keeping of tigers and other big cats by private people was banned in the US in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |date=2023|title=June 18 Deadline for Compliance With Big Cat Public Safety Act|website=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-04/big-cat-owners-must-register-june-18#:~:text=The%20Big%20Cat%20Public%20Safety%20Act%20makes%20it%20illegal%20to,with%20big%20cats%2C%20including%20cubs |accessdate=20 February 2024 |archive-date=20 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220231426/https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-04/big-cat-owners-must-register-june-18#:~:text=The%20Big%20Cat%20Public%20Safety%20Act%20makes%20it%20illegal%20to,with%20big%20cats%2C%20including%20cubs |url-status=live}}</ref> Most countries in the European Union have banned breeding and keeping tigers outside of licensed zoos and rescue centres, but some still allow private holdings.<ref>{{cite report|title=Guidance Document on the export, re-export and intra-EU trade of captive-born and bred live tigers and their parts and derivatives|publisher=European Commission|date=18 April 2023|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52023XC0418(01)#:~:text=While%20most%20EU%20Member%20States,and%20travelling%20exhibitions%20(9)|accessdate=6 June 2024}}</ref>

===Cultural significance===
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{{main|Cultural depictions of tigers}}
{{further information|Tiger worship}}
[[File:Bronze Tiger Tally "Jie" with Gold Inlay from Tomb of Zhao Mo.jpg|thumb|right|Tiger-shaped ''jie'' (badge of authority) with gold inlays, from the tomb of [[Zhao Mo]]|alt=Badge of black tiger with golden stripes]]
The tiger is among the most famous of the [[charismatic megafauna]]. [[Kailash Sankhala]] has called it "a rare combination of courage, ferocity and brilliant colour",<ref name=Sankhala/> while Candy d'Sa calls it "fierce and commanding on the outside, but noble and discerning on the inside". In a 2004 online poll involving more than 50,000 people from 73 countries, the tiger was voted the world's favourite animal with 21% of the vote, narrowly beating the dog.<ref>{{cite news |date=2004 |title=Endangered tiger earns its stripes as the world's most popular beast |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20041206/ai_n12814678 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080120222416/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20041206/ai_n12814678|url-status=dead |archive-date=20 January 2008|work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=7 March 2009}}</ref> Similarly, a 2018 study found the tiger to be the most popular wild animal based on surveys, as well as appearances on websites of major zoos and posters of some animated movies.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Albert |first1=C. |name-list-style=amp|last2=Luque |first2=G. M.|last3=Courchamp|first3=F. |year=2018|title=The twenty most charismatic species |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=13|issue=7|page=e0199149|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0199149|doi-access=free |pmid=29985962 |pmc=6037359|bibcode=2018PLoSO..1399149A}}</ref>

While the lion represented royalty and power in [[Western culture]], the tiger played such a role in various [[Culture of Asia|Asian cultures]]. In [[ancient China]], the tiger was seen as the "king of the forest" and symbolised the power of the [[Emperor of China|emperor]].<ref name=Symbolism>{{cite book |first=H. B. |last=Werness |year=2007 |title=The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in World Art |publisher=Continuum |place=New York |pages=402–404|isbn=978-0826419132}}</ref> In [[Chinese astrology]], the tiger is the third out of 12 symbols in the [[Chinese zodiac]] and controls the period between 15:00 and 17:00 o'clock in the afternoon. The [[Tiger (zodiac)|Year of the Tiger]] is thought to bring "dramatic and extreme events". The [[White Tiger (mythology)|White Tiger]] is one of the [[Four Symbols]] of the [[Chinese constellations]], representing the west along with the [[Yin and yang|yin]] and the season of autumn. It is the counterpart to the [[Azure Dragon]], which conversely symbolises the east, yang and springtime.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=39, 46}} The tiger is one of the animals displayed on the [[Pashupati seal]] of the [[Indus Valley Civilisation]]. The big cat was depicted on seals and coins during the [[Chola dynasty]] of southern India, as it was the official emblem.<ref>Thapar, R. "In Times Past" in {{harvnb|Thapar|2004|pp=156, 164}}</ref>
[[File:Durga Mahisasuramardini.JPG|thumb|upright|left|The Hindu goddess [[Durga]] riding a tiger. [[Guler State|Guler]] school, early 18th century|alt=Painting of an eight-armed goddess riding a tiger biting a buffalo demon]]
Tigers have had religious and folkloric significance. In [[Buddhism]], the tiger, monkey and deer are the Three Senseless Creatures, with the tiger symbolising anger.<ref name=Cooper92>{{cite book |last=Cooper |first=J. C. |title=Symbolic and Mythological Animals |pages=227 |year=1992 |publisher=Aquarian Press |location=London |isbn=978-1-85538-118-6}}</ref> In [[Hinduism]], the tiger is the [[Vahana|vehicle]] of [[Durga]], the goddess of feminine power and peace, whom the gods created to fight demons. Similarly, in the [[Greco-Roman world]], the tiger was depicted being ridden by the god [[Dionysus]]. In [[Korean mythology]], tigers are messengers of the [[Mountain God]]s.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=60, 86–88, 96}} In both [[Chinese culture|Chinese]] and [[Korean culture]], tigers are seen as protectors against evil spirits and their image was used to decorate homes, tombs and articles of clothing.<ref name=Symbolism/>{{sfn|Green|2006|p=96}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=152}} In the folklore of Malaysia and Indonesia, "tiger [[shaman]]s" heal the sick by invoking the big cat. People turning into tigers and the inverse has also been widespread; in particular [[Werecat#Asia|weretigers]] are people who could change into tigers and back again. The [[Mnong people]] of Indochina believed that tigers could [[shapeshift]] into humans.{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=152}} Among some [[indigenous peoples of Siberia]], it was believed that men would seduce women by transforming into tigers.<ref name=Symbolism/>

[[William Blake]]'s 1794 poem "[[The Tyger]]" portrays the animal as the duality of beauty and ferocity. It is the sister poem to "[[The Lamb (poem)|The Lamb]]" in Blake's ''[[Songs of Innocence and of Experience]]'' and he ponders how God could create such different creatures. The tiger is featured in the mediaeval Chinese novel ''[[Water Margin]]'', where the cat battles and is slain by the bandit [[Wu Song]], while the tiger [[Shere Khan]] in [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' (1894) is the mortal enemy of the human protagonist [[Mowgli]]. Friendly tame tigers have also existed in culture, notably [[Tigger]], the [[Winnie-the-Pooh]] character and [[Tony the Tiger]], the [[Kellogg's]] cereal mascot.{{sfn|Green|2006|pp=72–73, 78, 125–127, 147–148}}
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