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TIGERS have roamed the Chinese territory for two million years， but their numbers in the wild have been dropping steeply over the past century. Starting in the 1980s the Chinese government began to strengthen efforts to protect this beautiful felid species.
Saving an Endangered Species
The graceful and majestic tiger is found only in Asia. Wild tigers are divided into eight subspecies， each of which once had a prolific history. However， to date， the Balinese， Javan， and Caspian tigers are extinct and the future of the remaining five subspecies looks bleak.
Yan Xun， chief engineer at the Department of Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserve Management of the State Forestry Administration， has deep concerns over the current state of the environment tigers are living in. “Over the past 100 years， the number of wild tigers in the world has dropped sharply from 100，000 to 3，500. The presence of wild tigers signifies a healthy ecosystem. If we do not make efforts to reverse the trend， wild tigers will soon perish on this planet， causing severe damage to the biodiversity of Asia and our ecology.”
Of the existing five subspecies of tiger， four live in China； but they are few and far between. Amur， or Siberian， tigers exist in the border region between northeastern China and Russia； Indochinese tigers live along the borders between southwestern China’s Yunnan Province， Myanmar and Laos； and in the region between Tibet and India live Bengal tigers. South China tigers， as their name indicates， are only found in eastern and southeastern China.
In 1988， China listed tigers as a species under firstclass state protection and promulgated a series of protection measures including the Law on the Protection of Wildlife. Yan Xun， personally involved in this process， said， “As required by these laws and regulations， China started to step up protection of the wild subspecies and habitats of tigers and strictly monitor and control their breeding and utilization. In 1993， China officially prohibited the trade of tiger bones and their use in medicine.”
Nature reserves and wild animal management stations have been set up to better protect wild tigers and other wildlife. Expert teams are dispatched regularly by the State Forestry Administration to work together with staff at these establishments to conduct dynamic investigations of wild tigers to understand the quantity and structure of each subspecies and adjust protection strategies accordingly. Improving the habitats of wild tigers is also a priority of such protection work. Through hard efforts of these protection measures， the number of Amur tigers in China is rising. A recent survey indicates that there are currently 18-22 wild Amur tigers in China， compared with 12-16 in 2000.
South China Tigers in Greater Peril
Compared with other subspecies， South China tigers suffer tougher living conditions. Their ancestors lived in eastern and southeastern China， the best geographical location and tiger hub of the world. But now， wild South China tigers are so rare that they are listed among the 10 most endangered species， and there is fear that they may already be extinct.
However， Yan Xun has good news， “In a recent investigation， we discovered evidence of wild South China tigers， proving that this subspecies is not extinct.” Meanwhile， he also expressed his concern.“The traces we found were too scattered to help us infer the quantity and species structure of wild South China tigers. Their situation is really worrying.”
Breeding this animal artificially and then reintroducing it back into the wild is one way to save South China tigers. Efforts kicked off in this regard decades ago， but were plagued by declining species quality as a result of inbreeding among the small number of captive South China tigers. Special projects were initiated over the past years to optimize the pairing of captive South China tigers， increasing their numbers to 110 and upgrading their population quality.
The Chinese government took a bold step forward in 2003， sending two captive South China tigers to South Africa and “rewilding” them in cooperation with relevant organizations there.
Asked why South Africa was chosen as the training base， Yan Xun said， “South China tigers are considered critically endangered， so we are extremely cautious about the selection of their rewilding training base. We chose South Africa because the country has rich experience in rewilding large carnivores like lions. Globally， it is the first time captivity-bred tigers are released back into the wild. There is no earlier experience in this regard for us to draw on. But South Africa’s wealth of experience in the reintroduction of large animals could be a valuable lesson for us.”
The first tiger sent to South Africa was aptly named Xiwang （Hope）， embodying the optimism of the Chinese government and scientists for the recovery of South China tigers. Unfortunately， Hope did not pass the test of nature and died in South Africa. On hearing the news， Yan Xun was greatly grieved. Fortunately， Hope’s companion， Guotai （meaning national peace and stability） adapted well to the environment in the African country. Now， Guotai has successfully bred and nursed cubs in the wild and there are up to 13 South China tigers alive and well in Africa. “Survival of young tigers proves that they are now able to live and breed in the wild，” Yan Xun said.
As South China tigers are now adjusted to the environment in South Africa， will it be difficult to bring them back to China？ Yan Xun’s answer is no.“There’s no need to worry about this. Tigers are highly adaptable and can live under any conditions– whether in tropical or cold areas. As even tigers growing up in zoos can fit into foreign environments， those after rewilding can only fare better in their original habitats.”
Braving a Daunting Undertaking
In China， there is an ongoing battle between man and nature that makes it difficult to protect tigers. Yan Xun told us， “Tigers are at the top of the food chain. It is meaningless to maintain the existence of one tiger within one region because eventually it will grow old and die. So it is important to nurture a sustainable population. However， as large predators each need a large space of optimum conditions that provide them ample food sources， the demand of a whole species is huge. This is quite hard to achieve in such a densely-populated country.”
At the 2010 International Forum on Tiger Conservation in St. Petersburg， Russia， heads of governments from 13 nations signed the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation and agreed to a Global Tiger Recovery Program to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022.
In response to this program， China initiated its own tiger recovery scheme， listing five protection priority areas： improving habitats of wild tigers； establishing a monitoring system； coordinating tiger protection and economic development of local communities； cracking down on poaching and smuggling； and enhancing international cooperation and communication in this regard. Thirteen priority projects were set up， including protecting wild Amur tigers， Bengal tigers， and Indochinese tigers and optimizing their habitats.
According to Yan Xun， in recent years China has enhanced exchange and cooperation with other Tiger Range Countries （countries where tigers still roam free） and has been actively participating in international tiger protection campaigns， fulfilling requirements of wild animal protection conventions including the Global Tiger Recovery Program.
At the same time， China continues to make efforts to curb poaching and smuggling. In an attempt to rid the nation of trade in tiger-derived products， a severe threat to the animal， China not only stopped trade in tiger parts and the use of tiger bones in medicines， but also put into effect strict regulations on the remains of tigers that have died of natural causes， which must be disposed of under the government’s supervision. In this way， tigers can be effectively protected from danger.
Saving an Endangered Species
The graceful and majestic tiger is found only in Asia. Wild tigers are divided into eight subspecies， each of which once had a prolific history. However， to date， the Balinese， Javan， and Caspian tigers are extinct and the future of the remaining five subspecies looks bleak.
Yan Xun， chief engineer at the Department of Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserve Management of the State Forestry Administration， has deep concerns over the current state of the environment tigers are living in. “Over the past 100 years， the number of wild tigers in the world has dropped sharply from 100，000 to 3，500. The presence of wild tigers signifies a healthy ecosystem. If we do not make efforts to reverse the trend， wild tigers will soon perish on this planet， causing severe damage to the biodiversity of Asia and our ecology.”
Of the existing five subspecies of tiger， four live in China； but they are few and far between. Amur， or Siberian， tigers exist in the border region between northeastern China and Russia； Indochinese tigers live along the borders between southwestern China’s Yunnan Province， Myanmar and Laos； and in the region between Tibet and India live Bengal tigers. South China tigers， as their name indicates， are only found in eastern and southeastern China.
In 1988， China listed tigers as a species under firstclass state protection and promulgated a series of protection measures including the Law on the Protection of Wildlife. Yan Xun， personally involved in this process， said， “As required by these laws and regulations， China started to step up protection of the wild subspecies and habitats of tigers and strictly monitor and control their breeding and utilization. In 1993， China officially prohibited the trade of tiger bones and their use in medicine.”
Nature reserves and wild animal management stations have been set up to better protect wild tigers and other wildlife. Expert teams are dispatched regularly by the State Forestry Administration to work together with staff at these establishments to conduct dynamic investigations of wild tigers to understand the quantity and structure of each subspecies and adjust protection strategies accordingly. Improving the habitats of wild tigers is also a priority of such protection work. Through hard efforts of these protection measures， the number of Amur tigers in China is rising. A recent survey indicates that there are currently 18-22 wild Amur tigers in China， compared with 12-16 in 2000.
South China Tigers in Greater Peril
Compared with other subspecies， South China tigers suffer tougher living conditions. Their ancestors lived in eastern and southeastern China， the best geographical location and tiger hub of the world. But now， wild South China tigers are so rare that they are listed among the 10 most endangered species， and there is fear that they may already be extinct.
However， Yan Xun has good news， “In a recent investigation， we discovered evidence of wild South China tigers， proving that this subspecies is not extinct.” Meanwhile， he also expressed his concern.“The traces we found were too scattered to help us infer the quantity and species structure of wild South China tigers. Their situation is really worrying.”
Breeding this animal artificially and then reintroducing it back into the wild is one way to save South China tigers. Efforts kicked off in this regard decades ago， but were plagued by declining species quality as a result of inbreeding among the small number of captive South China tigers. Special projects were initiated over the past years to optimize the pairing of captive South China tigers， increasing their numbers to 110 and upgrading their population quality.
The Chinese government took a bold step forward in 2003， sending two captive South China tigers to South Africa and “rewilding” them in cooperation with relevant organizations there.
Asked why South Africa was chosen as the training base， Yan Xun said， “South China tigers are considered critically endangered， so we are extremely cautious about the selection of their rewilding training base. We chose South Africa because the country has rich experience in rewilding large carnivores like lions. Globally， it is the first time captivity-bred tigers are released back into the wild. There is no earlier experience in this regard for us to draw on. But South Africa’s wealth of experience in the reintroduction of large animals could be a valuable lesson for us.”
The first tiger sent to South Africa was aptly named Xiwang （Hope）， embodying the optimism of the Chinese government and scientists for the recovery of South China tigers. Unfortunately， Hope did not pass the test of nature and died in South Africa. On hearing the news， Yan Xun was greatly grieved. Fortunately， Hope’s companion， Guotai （meaning national peace and stability） adapted well to the environment in the African country. Now， Guotai has successfully bred and nursed cubs in the wild and there are up to 13 South China tigers alive and well in Africa. “Survival of young tigers proves that they are now able to live and breed in the wild，” Yan Xun said.
As South China tigers are now adjusted to the environment in South Africa， will it be difficult to bring them back to China？ Yan Xun’s answer is no.“There’s no need to worry about this. Tigers are highly adaptable and can live under any conditions– whether in tropical or cold areas. As even tigers growing up in zoos can fit into foreign environments， those after rewilding can only fare better in their original habitats.”
Braving a Daunting Undertaking
In China， there is an ongoing battle between man and nature that makes it difficult to protect tigers. Yan Xun told us， “Tigers are at the top of the food chain. It is meaningless to maintain the existence of one tiger within one region because eventually it will grow old and die. So it is important to nurture a sustainable population. However， as large predators each need a large space of optimum conditions that provide them ample food sources， the demand of a whole species is huge. This is quite hard to achieve in such a densely-populated country.”
At the 2010 International Forum on Tiger Conservation in St. Petersburg， Russia， heads of governments from 13 nations signed the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation and agreed to a Global Tiger Recovery Program to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022.
In response to this program， China initiated its own tiger recovery scheme， listing five protection priority areas： improving habitats of wild tigers； establishing a monitoring system； coordinating tiger protection and economic development of local communities； cracking down on poaching and smuggling； and enhancing international cooperation and communication in this regard. Thirteen priority projects were set up， including protecting wild Amur tigers， Bengal tigers， and Indochinese tigers and optimizing their habitats.
According to Yan Xun， in recent years China has enhanced exchange and cooperation with other Tiger Range Countries （countries where tigers still roam free） and has been actively participating in international tiger protection campaigns， fulfilling requirements of wild animal protection conventions including the Global Tiger Recovery Program.
At the same time， China continues to make efforts to curb poaching and smuggling. In an attempt to rid the nation of trade in tiger-derived products， a severe threat to the animal， China not only stopped trade in tiger parts and the use of tiger bones in medicines， but also put into effect strict regulations on the remains of tigers that have died of natural causes， which must be disposed of under the government’s supervision. In this way， tigers can be effectively protected from danger.