Jingdaoese valleytiger

Jingdaoese valleytiger kept in the Museum of Daocheng

The Jingdaoese valleytiger (Panthera jingdaoesis) is a feline species that lives in south western Apollonia, almost exclusively in the territory of the Jingdaoese Empire. One large feral group of the animals lives west of the Eventide Islands in Keltia, and another on the Great Plains to the north-west of Elam. It was the result of hybridisation experiments by Unit 666 in 1681. Ancestors of the animal are, possibly among others, tigers from Xianbei (Kitanus Fields), and a bijeko-lisea-nas from Corum. Goal of the project was to breed wild animals that are harmless to ethnic Jingdaoese citizens, but see others as prey. Results were moderately successful, with the animal still targeting minority groups such as Rivorians and Batavians. A group of 58 animals was released into the wild after funding for the project stopped in 1685. According to estimations, the population has since risen to 75 individual animals in the Tanlin and Zijinlin national parks. It is not sure how many are outside these territories, as the animals are considered to be mostly harmless and are not monitored. They are known to travel far and have been sighted close to the border with Senya and Floria, but no reports of sightings have been received from these nations.

Characteristics

The Jingdaoese valleytiger is an apex predator, its primary prey is dependent on the presence of ethnic Jingdaoese people in the vicinity. If these are around, it will focus on ungulates, such as goats and donkeys. It is a solitary but social predator, that share territories and will cooperate when they feel threatened. The animals can reach a length of 350cm and a weight of 250kg. The Jingdaoese valley tiger is extremely fast, regularly reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h in sprints. The animal can swim, and will cross wide rivers.

Valley tigers in the Eventide Islands

As the valley tigers are unlikely to attack ethnic Jingdaoese people, some of them have been caught and sold as pets. Highly notable was a case where poachers illegally sold ten young valley tigers to an immigrant family of Ralgonese origin living on the Eventide Islands. Since the family was forced to keep them in cages to escape oversight from the strict authorities on the islands (where exotic pets of any type are banned), the tigers were similarly poorly trained. Thus, as the valley tigers became adults, their genetic programming kicked in and they slew the entire family, before the authorities could intervene. Instead of permitting all of the tigers to escape into the vast Keltian forest to the west, a small number out of this were instead repurposed as animals to use in the few gladiatorial arenas in both Eventide and [[Elam], and as substitutes for watchdogs by the authorities, as actual dogs (for reasons unknown) are banned from the islands.

One particular group of wild forest tigers that escaped into the Great Forest in western Keltia subsequently mixed with other similar animals thriving in the vast undergrowth of these forests. Some of these hybrids are known to actively seek out humans for prey, and prefers them over any other species -- likely because the valley tigers have learned to hunt by slaying their adoptive family. Since the authorities keep the remaining animals out of sight, some rumors have it that some of these tigers are regularly marooned on various deserted islands to deter runaways and other unwelcome migrants from becoming squatters on the precious little land reserved for future human settlement. Corroborating this are sightings that have been reported on at least five different islands -- most by tour groups or even the rare merchants passing through the area and bypassing the rapidly growing port island-city of Kobol.

Others are used elsewhere in The Hexarchy as substitutes for dogs, where the animals are released to drive the natives' prey from their cover in the heavily forested portions of their domain. These same released tigers are simply set loose into the wild and often end up in the plains, with their freedom being their reward for an excellent haul worth far more than the effort it takes to safely retrieve them. This has proven to be a major problem for would-be settlers on continental Keltia that aren't fortified with help from the native Pyraxian tribes located in the mountainous Red Islands.