Near extinct Siberian tiger footprints found in northeast China raise hopes local population is on the road to recovery
- Siberian tigers were once thought to be extinct in China, but the population has shown signs of recovery in recent years
- Human activity is attributed to 80% of the population’s decline
Siberian tiger footprints found in northeast China raised an intriguing possibility that efforts to preserve natural environments in the area may have helped the iconic big cat return to a territory it had long since left.
The footprints were initially discovered by police patrolling the local border, after which they called the regional Forestry and Grassland Bureau.
Upon further analysis, the footprints, measuring about 10cm in length and width, were preliminarily determined they belonged to a Siberian (Amur) tiger.
Siberian tigers are one of the most endangered carnivores on the planet, with only an estimated 50 living in the area spanning northeast China and the far west of Russia.
However, despite their dire situation, the region has had some small success stories. For example, the Siberian tiger population at the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, which is around 500km away from where the new prints were found, has doubled since 2017, according to Sixth Tone, a mainland news outlet.
Additionally, over 50 per cent of cubs born in the park survive, a notable increase from the 2017 number of 33 per cent.
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Still, according to National Geographic, humans account for 80 per cent of the tiger’s population decline, owing primarily to habitat destruction.
In January this year, another set of Siberian tiger tracks was found in the Greater Khingan Range in Inner Mongolia, the first time markings had been found in the area in over 50 years.
That discovery also included faeces, solidifying evidence that a tiger had been in the area recently.
After the discovery in Inner Mongolia, Zhang Minghai, an expert on wildlife and habitat protection at the Northeast Forestry University, told Shanghai Daily that findings like these do not mean a sustainable Siberian tiger population has managed to grab a foothold in the areas. Still, they may indicate that the environment has become more favourable for wildlife.
The Siberian tiger sightings are not the only example of potentially extinct species showing signs of local comebacks. In Hainan, China’s southern tropical island, the local gibbon ape population has shown signs of a comeback after the rainforest has been better protected after years of mismanagement.
