50 years of Project Tiger: Researchers identify two unique traits of Big Cats

Thanks to Project Tiger, India has managed to steadily increase tiger population in the country. Project Tiger completes 50 years on April 9 and researchers have now identified two personality traits in the beast.

According to researchers, just as human beings have five dimensions to their personality, tigers have two- steadiness and majesty. The traits were identified as part of the first psychometric test developed for tigers as researchers analysed the Siberian or Amur tiger, Pantheris tigris alpaca.

The study was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. It states that all tigers are not the same. "We cannot know how the character or temperament of one tiger strikes another, but we can assess how the personality of a tiger strikes human observers," the report said.

The findings found that the tigers that scored higher on 'majesty' were found to be healthier, eat more live prey, have a higher group status and mate more often. On the other hand 'steady' tigers' were higher in sincerity, gentleness and friendliness, the report said.

Dr Rosalind Arden, one of the authors of the research, said in a statement, " our research shows that tigers can be understood through two key personality features and how they rate for each. All tigers are not the same and, while we cannot know how the character or temperament of one tiger strikes another, we can assess how the personality of a tiger strikes human observers - and that's what we measured."

For the research, the team studied 248 Siberian tigers of which 152 live in the world's largest semi-wild tiger sanctuary in North Eastern China. The second sample of 96 tigers also live in the the Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park at Hailin City in Eastern China.

The questionnaire for the tigers was taken by feeders and veterinarians who knew the individual tigers well. "Like us, Siberian tigers are individuals. Understanding their temperaments is essential because, as we have seen, these personalities have a bearing on this endangered species' ability to breed and flourish," Dr. Arden said.

Indian tigers:

On April 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Mysuru, where he will reveal the latest figures of the tiger population in India. India celebrates 50 years of its conservation efforts under Project Tiger.

The 2018 census says that India is one of the biggest and safest habitats of the Royal Bengal Tiger with a population of 2,967 tigers.