Bengal Tiger - 'Adonas'

This is ADONAS. He is a 12 year old Bengal Tiger. He weighs about 623 pounds. We are very lucky to have four tigers - Adonas, Nyla, Chuffy and Sean, because tigers are critically endangered.

The government of India established Project Tiger in the early 1970's, and opened a number of reserves in which to protect the animal. However, poaching of the Bengal Tiger for its fur and other body parts is still a major threat.

Each tiger has something special that is unique only to them. The stripes on their face and head are each different. No two tigers have the same markings.

Tigers are found in India, China and Russia, and they hunt boar, buffalo and deer. Tigers are solitary animals, not like lions. If you look closely at the back of a tiger's ears, you will see spots which are used to identify them. On cubs, it is used as protection from predators, because predators will think they're looking at them as they're running away. Adonas eats an average of 29 pounds of meat a day. During the month he may pick a few days and gorge himself and eat as much as 65 pounds in one meal. He, like all the cats at the facility, are given rye grass and wheat grass, along with their minerals.

Adonas loves water as all tigers do. He looks forward to his daily shower with the hose.