Just a Big Pussycat

Pastel on Colour Fix Art Spectrum paper ($POA)

 44 cm W x 58 cm H
The Indian Tiger (Panthera tigris) is surely the most stunning of the big cats, with its distinctive dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. It is an apex predator, primarily preying on ungulates such as deer and wild boar. It is territorial and generally solitary.  It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. As of 2015, the global wild tiger population was estimated to number between 3,050 and 3,900 mature individuals, with most living in small, isolated pockets. Major reasons for population decline are habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation, human-wildlife conflict and poaching.