The Last Wild Siberian Tiger

I have been alone for most of my life now wondering the lands of asia. So many of my kind have been wiped out or taken away. Man has already tried to take my life for killing his dog, however I got away with barely a scratch. The humans have been closing in on our lands, building and cutting down trees. As they do this food becomes more and more scarce. What can I do? Nothing!

         My first memory was maybe 3 winters ago. My mother was teaching me how to hunt. We came upon this herd of sheep. We started out low, and slow, stalking our prey with my sisters close behind. Once mother gave the signal to jump I heard a loud BOOM! I, along with my sisters, scattered in all different directions. After what seemed like eternity I went back to look for mother. All I found was red pools of blood and marks in the ground as if something large was dragged away. I went to go and find my sisters but they to were no where to be seen. It was then that I had to fend for myself, I was alone!

         I taught myself how to hunt, watching other tigers and other animals  from a distance and trying to copy what I saw. Then I saw her, a wonderful visual of a female of my species. We roamed the land together for awhile, then a short time later the litter came, all females. I vowed to do everything in my power to protect my family and to keep history from repeating itself.

         I taught my daughters how to find food and water, hunt and bring down their prey quickly. I taught them about hiding from hunters and to never back down from other animals, for our species was considered to be king in Asia. I taught them how to climb, tho a little clumsey at first, they finally got the hang of it.

         Once when we were in the trees, we saw a bear. I saw this as a opportunity to bring down food for the up coming winter and to teach my family to take down animals more than twice their size. I climbed out over a low hanging branch and waited. I waited until the bear was almost underneith me then i jumped. Right onto the back of the bear and immeadiately sunk my teeth into his neck, however he flung me off. I could see that my family was bothered by not having the big feast that was almost there, but I motioned for them to follow me. As we zigged and zagged threw the woods, they didn’t know it but I was sniffing out blood, the blood of the bear, for when I bit into him I know I cut the main lifeline because much blood gushed into my mouth and down my chin. Finally we saw him still breathing but barely alive. I saw this as a great time to teach my daughters to go for the throat. They are quick learners.

         Just as I thought nothing could go wrong. We were walking close by our territory when I heard a noise from the past BOOM! I turned just in time to see smoke and where it was coming from. I looked again and my family had already scattered. BOOM! this time closer followed by a loud ROAR! They were in some kind of moving object on wheels. So much for outrunning them. I dived into a cave and immeadiately saw my family, thank goodness they were ok, or so I thought. Red spots stained the floor of the cave, as my girls moved aside I saw their mother laying down barely moving. She had been hit and I didnt know how long she had, if any, to live. I was determined to find out. I went back to the enterence of the cave and looked out. I could hear the machine but couldn’t see it. All of a sudden I felt as if I was being watched. I saw the hunter looking at me threw his scope. To the left I also saw something else that I had never seen before. Flashing lights with a loud wailing noise comeing from it. I looked back at the hunter and he had taken cover behind a fallen tree. Then I remembered my family I went back to the girl’s mother she was awake and getting up. I heard yelling and more gun shots. I jumped back to the opening of the cave and saw the hunter laying down on his back in a pool of blood and another human ducking behind a tree. She sees me and goes back to her machine and pulls out a different weapon. Takes aim and fires. I’m hit! I start feeling very tired trying not to fall asleep for the sake of my family. Just as i lay down next to my queen I hear footsteps and a voice that says “don’t worry I’m going to take good care of you and your family. Last thing I remeber I see this human setting down a bag beside my queen, then I was out.

         I awoke in a completely different area, very dizzy and very hungry. I didn’t realize I was in some kind of hard metal cage until I tried to attack one of my captors. Thats when I saw them, my queen and my daughters the front of the cage opens and I hear that same voice from before say “Welcome to Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge, you’ll be safe here.”

         

         937 words