Niue, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar is the circulation currency for daily transactions, while the government also authorises legal tender coins in the Niue Dollar currency for collector's purposes.
A number of mints issue a large variety of commemorative, bullion and collector coins under the authority of Niue. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes - typically, one ounce of silver (abbreviated as 1 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum). Many of these feature various animals.
This coin is the third release in the Endangered Species series by the New Zealand Mint and features the Bengal Tiger.
The Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, is the largest member of the cat family, and the most numerous subspecies across the Asian continent. Appearing on flags, coats of arms, and as mascots for sporting teams around the globe, the Bengal Tiger is also the National Animal of both Bangladesh and India.
Over the past 100 years, the global population of Bengal Tigers in the wild has decreased across Asia, and is estimated to number fewer than 2,500 individuals. The key reasons for this population decline are poaching and hunting, along with the destruction of forests that make up the tiger’s habitat. This has led to it being classified as Endangered by the IUCN in 2010.
Tigers live alone and aggressively scent-mark large territories in order to keep their rivals away. They are powerful nocturnal hunters that can weigh up to 227 kg, and travel great distances in order to find buffalo, deer, and other prey. A tiger’s most recognisable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes set against its yellow-orange fur. No two animals have the same pattern. Using this camouflage, a tiger will lie in wait and creep close enough to attack its prey with one fatal pounce. Despite this fearsome reputation, most tigers avoid humans. |