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Tiger surprise
12:58:11 17/10/2007
Rare Chinese tiger seen in the wild
Researchers have confirmed that a wild tiger, photographed by a farmer in the Qinba Mountains of Shaanxi Province, Central China, is indeed that of the critically endangered South China tiger.
The South China tiger – classified as one of only five subspecies of tiger still alive today – is extremely rare, with only an estimated 20 to 30 still remaining in the wild.
The wildlife and conservation group WWF says the South China tiger is actually native to the Hainan most forests of south-east China, and because there are so few individuals left, it is regarded by many scientists as being “functionally extinct” in the wild.
But a group called Save China’s Tigers has been working on a captive-breeding programme and hopes to reach an agreement with China’s State Forestry Administration to reintroduce captive-bred animals into the wild. If all goes well, the first individuals could be reintroduced to coincide with the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
Lizzie Fox
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