Tiny Baby Wonder Bengal Tiger

NAME

TITLE
Tiny Baby Wonder Bengal Tiger

GENDER
Female

AGE
6 Months

FOUND
India

CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered

Living in the forests of India, this 6-month-old baby Bengal Tiger is learning everything she needs to know about how to be a good tiger. She is still very young and playful with a long way to go before she can be independent. She has been practising how to crouch and pounce (mum is a great target), which she thinks is tremendous fun! One day she will be a big, strong, fearsome hunter but right now she’ll leave it to mum.

The tiger is the largest member of the feline family with a huge roar that can be heard as far as two miles away. The Bengal tiger may be the most iconic out of all 5 remaining species and is even considered charismatic megafauna; which is another name for a large animal with such symbolic value and appeal that they are often used to gain popular support. With its beautiful striped coat and strong limbs, it’s not surprising why. It is the national symbol of both India and Bangladesh.

Tigers are independent creatures, only coming together for mating or on special occasions when food is plentiful. Otherwise, each tiger aggressively marks their territory and stays within the confines of their home range. A male will maintain an extra-large area, so he can have exclusive rights to multiple females which overlap with his territory. A mother will give birth to between 1-4 cubs in a den she has made in either tall grass, thick bush, or a nice cave. The cubs are born completely helpless with their eyes and ears closed and covered in a thick woolly fur that they will shed when they are 3 and a half to 5 months old. They suckle for milk until they can start to eat solids at around 2 months old. Once they have reached this milestone the cubs will start to follow their mum out on her hunting trips, learning everything they need to know. At around 2-3, they have learnt everything they can from their mum and will start to look for their own territory, moving out of the family unit and becoming independent.

Tigers are carnivores and stealthy hunters, using their stripes as camouflage as take down their prey, sometimes catching dinner as big as an elephant! They very rarely attack humans, preferring to avoid them instead. On the off chance they do, it is usually because they are sick and cannot hunt normally or there is not enough food.

All tiger species are endangered and the Bengal tiger has the biggest population of them all, a very sad fact when there are thought to be fewer than 2,500 left. Their biggest threat is poaching. They are killed for their beautiful fur, their bones and body parts for use in traditional Chinese medicines, and by trophy hunters. Their use in medicines has had no proven efficacy. Their habitat has also been badly degraded and fragmented by logging and the ever-encroaching human presence. They also suffer from retaliation from humans who will kill them if they attack their livestock.

HOW TO HELP 
​Based off real animals that Gillie and Marc met while studying, the public will be able to meet individual animals. This will help them to realise that there are apes with unique personalities, thoughts and emotions. The loss of one individual is just as devastating as losing an individual human.

Through public art, more people will come into contact with these sculptures, will stop and consider them, will take a photograph, and will discuss this with their friends and family. With this increased exposure, the message of love, family, and conservation will be spread much further than any piece of art in a gallery ever could. It will bring people into close contact and will help them to fall in love, and with love comes a greater urge to want to create a change and save all endangered animals.

​The sculpture will be aligned with the hashtag #LoveTheLast to raise unparalleled awareness about the sculpture’s cause across the globe.

ABOUT GILLIE AND MARC
Gillie and Marc’s highly coveted public artworks can be found worldwide including in New York, London, Singapore, Shanghai, and Sydney. They are Archibald Prize finalists, won the Chianciano Biennale in Italy, took out the Allens People’s Choice Award in 2016 and 2018 and Kids’ Choice Award in the 2016 Sculpture by the Sea and received the Bayside Arts Festival People's Choice Award in 2019 in Sydney.

The husband-and-wife duo are on a mission to make art for a better tomorrow. They are best known for their beloved characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, who tell the autobiographical tale of two opposites coming together as best friends and soul mates.

Gillie and Marc are also passionate eco-warriors and have dedicated their lives to protecting nature.

Gillie grew up with the wildlife in Zambia and Marc studied chimpanzees in Tanzania as a young man. Over time, the artists developed a deep appreciation for all living things and a desire to preserve the magnificence of the natural world. 

Through their art, Gillie and Marc aim to transform passive audiences into passionate advocates for animal conservation. Their mission is to use their work as a platform to continue spreading awareness about endangerment, which will ultimately lead to change and save species from extinction.

Their art has raised hundreds of thousands in donations for the many wildlife charities and causes they support through their project Love The Last.

Please follow @gillieandmarcart