China - February 28, 2025 A two-year-old female Siberian tiger has been confirmed as the youngest tiger mother in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, located in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. Identified as Tigress 136, this young mother has been spotted by infrared cameras leading her three cubs into the warm spring sunlight, marking the first recorded sighting of this new family unit. The park, established in 2021 and built on the foundation of 19 former nature reserves, has gained recognition as one of China's pioneering national parks since its pilot phase began in August 2017. As spring unfolds, tiger and leopard mothers within the park are increasingly seen emerging from the dense forests with their young, enjoying the season's warmth. Researchers from the Northeast Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center were astonished when they realized that Tigress 136 had just turned two years old. According to domestic and international research on wild tiger breeding, most tigers do not typically begin their first breeding cycle until they are around 3 years old. Feng explained that female tigers generally become independent and leave their birthplace around 18 to 22 months of age, or roughly 1.5 to 2 years old, before they can establish their own territory and find a mate to breed. Two years old for a tiger is equivalent to 15 or 16 years old for a human, essentially still adolescence. To verify this unusual case, researchers meticulously reviewed video archives of the mother tigress, tracing her timeline back to her infancy. After thorough examination of the historical monitoring videos, Professor Feng confirmed that this young mother gave birth to her first litter at approximately 1 year and 10 months old, making her a true low-age tiger mom and the youngest discovered in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. Shotlist: Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, northeast China - Recent: 1. Footage of youngest tiger mother with her three cubs walking at park; Hunchun City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, northeast China - Recent 2. Various of professor Feng Limin showing footage of youngest tiger mother by computer; Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, northeast China - Recent 3. Siberian tigers playing in park; Hunchun City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, northeast China - Recent 4. Footage of youngest tiger mother with her three cubs walking at park; UPSOUND (Chinese) Feng Limin, director, Northeast Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center; professor, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University: "This video shows the mother tiger taking her three cubs out for a walk. The cubs are now about half a year old."; Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, northeast China - Recent 5. Various of Siberian tigers walking in park; 6. Footage of Siberian tiger walking in park at night; Hunchun City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, northeast China - Recent 7. Various of professor Feng Limin showing footage of youngest tiger mother's growth by computer UPSOUND (Chinese) Feng Limin, director, Northeast Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center; professor, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University: "In the video footage from January 2023, we see Tigress 136 as a cub at around four months old, alongside her siblings. As she grows to around six months old, her size has noticeably increased. The footage at one year old captures her as a sub-adult."; Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, northeast China - Recent 8. Siberian tiger walking in park. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]