Rare leopards, Siberian tigers make bold return
Print Edition
INFRARED cameras have captured incredible scenes of wild Amur leopards and Siberian tigers this year after being installed at a national nature reserve in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.
Amur leopards were spotted 17 times this year at Laoyeling Nature Reserve, equalling the total number from 2012 to 2015. Siberian tigers were spotted five times, including twice when they were found roaming during the daytime.
Zhang Chunlei, head of the reserve, said Thursday more animal activity, especially in the daytime, show the rare species have become more active thanks to human retreat.
Zhang said Siberian tigers were rarely found in the daytime for fear of human-related noise, such as logging saws and vehicle engines at the reserve, which used to be a timber base.
In 2011, the local forestry bureau ordered logging stopped and initiated a program to build a nature reserve for wild Siberian tigers. In 2014, the reserve was upgraded to the national level.
Since humans made way for the reserve, prey for the carnivores, such as boars and deer, has increased, which helped the big cat population rebound.
Zhang, said at least four Siberian tigers and seven Amur leopards currently live at the reserve. Numbers change as the animals often roam back and forth across the China-Russia border. One of the world’s most endangered species, the Amur leopard was put under top national protection in 1983.
There are less than 70 Amur leopards in the world, mostly living in Russia’s Far East, China’s Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and the northern Korean Peninsular. About 500 Siberian tigers are believed to survive in the wild, living in the same areas.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
