South Africa, a country known for its rich biodiversity has been the number one tourist destination for nature lovers. It acts as a window into the lives of innumerable species- both discovered and undiscovered. Home to majestic lions, enormous giraffes, countless wildebeests, lightning-fast cheetahs and wild elephants among many other species, this ecosystem seems to be missing one major species- tigers. Tigers are non-native to South Africa, and the ones that are present were introduced as a part of a rewilding project. So, why is it that a keystone species like tiger is not found in South Africa?
Evolution of Tigers
If we trace the evolution of the modern carnivores, they evolved approximately 66 to 33 million years ago. Proailurus, considered the first ‘true cat’, appeared in a fossil record about 30 million years ago. About 10-15 million years ago a prehistoric cat known as Pseudaelurus, which was roughly the size of a cougar lived in South Africa, which was followed by the sabre-toothed cats. However about 2 million years ago, for reasons undeterminable by scientists or ecologists, a branch of the Felidae family, which includes lions, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars and lynxes migrated to East Asia, to evolve into tigers.
The tigers continued to evolve into several sub species and adapted extremely well to the biotic and abiotic factors in Asian countries like China and India. The lack of a need to migrate is one of the possible reasons for their never coming back to South Africa.
The Changing African Landscape
Pleistocene glacial fluctuations, as well as changes in geographic boundaries also made migration unfavourable for these tigers. If the tigers were to make the journey, they would have had to cross the now Middle East. When they initially left South Africa, this land was lush savannah but with time these transformed into dry and arid deserts. The tigers would not have survived due to lack of water and prey. In addition to this, there were extreme climate changes, switching between glacial and interglacial periods. These weather conditions brought down the Asian tiger population. So, the biodiversity in Africa grew in the absence of tigers.
So how did tigers suddenly end up in South Africa?
Today, there is a small tiger population in the southern region of South Africa. This has occurred as a result of a series of rewilding projects carried out by different individuals. In the year 2000, John Varty, renowned wildlife filmmaker brought two zoo bred Bengal tiger cubs to Philippolis, with the intention of rewilding third and fourth generation tigers to native Asian countries by providing relatively safe and stable conditions for breeding in Africa. Later on, the project’s conservation value was scrutinized as the cubs he introduced were a hybrid species.
The Captive Breeding Program proved controverisal
In 2002, the Laohu Valley Reserve came into being. 17 defunct sheep farms were purchased, and efforts were made to restore its status to a possible natural habitat. Li-Quan a Chinese businesswoman who had a keen interest in wildlife took this as an opportunity to breed South China tigers which were rapidly declining and were almost extinct in the wild. In batches, tiger cubs were brought in for the rewilding project.
A legal battle ensued, but the reserve at present houses South China tigers that are separated from native lion and cheetah populations to avoid competition. Questions have risen as to whether the introduction of tigers is affecting the ecosystem of South Africa, but this is not likely, as the land on which the reserve is built was once overgrazed land- meaning no existing ecosystem was destroyed to accommodate these tigers. The reserve is now managed by Save China’s Tigers.
What is the current situation of South Africa’s tigers?
At present, tigers are present in Laohu Valley Reserve, Tiger Canyon and zoos in South Africa. It is improbable that there ever will be a native tiger species, but certain issues have come to light in the recent years as regards to the introduced tigers. Due to economic and legal constraints, it takes years to rewild the South China tigers to their native land. Between 2013 and 2018, according to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), South Africa has exported 200 live captive-bred tigers to The Middle East and Asia. These numbers include, trophies, claws, bones and skulls exported in the same period. Most of the exports were to Vietnam, and Thailand.
Illegal Wildlife Trade Prospers
Other countries include Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar and China- all of which have been involved in both legal and illegal trade of tiger products. South African involvement in the export of tigers and tiger products has been flagged by the CITES. The commercial trade of wild tiger (listed in Appendix I) is strictly forbidden, but these rules do not apply to captive-bred tigers. These captive-bred tigers are allowed to be traded under strict supervision of regulatory authorities. The loophole lies in the fact that this control is lacking and sometimes even absent allowing for indiscriminate legal and illegal trade.
Conclusions
The tiger population worldwide has seen an increase from 3200 in 2015 to 4500 in 2022. The IUCN Red List indicates a steady increase and stabilisation of population due to the efforts being made to conserve these wild cats. While these numbers are good signs, countries still need to pay close attention to the illegal trade of the big cat. Tigers remain endangered. Rewilding projects and captive breeding programmes are the best options available for their rehabilitation. But as far as tigers in South Africa are concerned, there never were native tigers and likely never will be any in existence, but usage of properly regulated and protected enclosures in South Africa could help bring up the tiger population numbers.
Written by: Nallur Manasa Ramesh
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