STORY: NE China national park sees significant increase in wild tigers, leopards
SHOOTING TIME: May 18, 2024/File
DATELINE: May 18, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:42
LOCATION: HUNCHUN, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of tigers and leopards in the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): FENG LIMIN, Deputy director of the Monitoring and Research Center for Siberian Tigers and Amur Leopards, National Forestry and Grassland Administration

STORYLINE:

The population of wild tigers and leopards in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park has seen a marked increase in recent years.

According to Duan Zhaogang, head of the park administration, there are currently around 70 wild Siberian tigers and about 80 wild Amur leopards living within the park. In 2023 alone, 20 new tiger cubs and 15 leopard cubs were born there.

The distribution range of these big cats has continued to expand, reaching the westernmost edge of the park, with their habitat now covering over 11,000 square kilometers, about 80 percent of the total area of the park.

The park, formed on the basis of 19 former nature reserves, began its pilot phase in August 2017 as one of China's first five national parks and was officially established in 2021.

In recent years, habitat restoration projects have been initiated in the park to reclaim and restore 2,200 hectares of forestland, alongside ongoing anti-poaching patrols to ensure a high-quality ecological environment, Duan said.

The tiger and leopard population is experiencing an accelerated pace of recovery, Duan said.

In 2015, the number of wild Siberian tigers and Amur leopards in China was 27 and 42, respectively. The survival rate of wild Siberian tiger and Amur leopard cubs in the park has increased from 33 percent in 2015 to nearly 50 percent now.

Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, mainly live in Russia's Far East and northeast China. One of the world's most endangered species, about 500 Siberian tigers are believed to be living in the wild.

Amur leopards, also known as the Far Eastern leopards, are also among the most endangered felines in the world.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): FENG LIMIN, Deputy director of the Monitoring and Research Center for Siberian Tigers and Amur Leopards, National Forestry and Grassland Administration
"Over the past year, we have recorded at least 20 Siberian tiger cubs and 15 Amur leopard cubs. We saw the activity range of the Siberian tiger and leopard populations further expand, especially in the eastern core area of the national park, where the historic abundance of tigers in the mountains once again became a reality."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hunchun, China.
(XHTV)