Sources for Tiger Jumping Distances

Okay, in my library I found in Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia Volume 12, Page 349 (copyright 1972) that tigers have been found to jump down up to 10 meters (32.8 feet) with the average of 5-6 meter jumps (16-19.7 feet).

In Walker’s Mammals of the World, Fifth Edition, the citation in Volume II on page 1209 says, “It (tiger species) has been reported to cover up to 10 meters in a horizontal leap.”

Based on these citations, it would have been completely feasible for Tatiana, the San Francisco Zoo’s Siberian tiger to have jumped out of her enclosure.

Big Cat Jumps

I thought this video might be of interest to you

Also, I found this citation but have no idea who the person is who has quoted the distances. Still looking for sources I can verify. According to Maxine Anbabell, there have been instances recorded of tigers leaping widths of as much as twenty feet, with one tiger seen to leap thirty feet.