ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[peter]

PANTHERA TIGRIS AMOYENSIS - H 


H1 - Extinct or not?

In the previous post, a paper written by Li-Yuan Liu ('The study on the authenticity of the wild South China tiger on an hunter's photos') was discussed. The paper was published in the 'International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation' in November 2010.

Liu concluded that the photograph was a fake, but he also concluded that there were tigers in the Daba Mountains. Wild South China tigers. About 6-8, he thought. In 2009-2010. 

This was a total surprise for everyone interested in tigers, as South China tigers had not been seen for a long time (in Shaanxi, the last tiger was seen in 1964). Most authorities thought that South China tigers had been exterminated in the sixties or seventies of the last century.

So what about the conclusion of Liu?

One is that Liu (College of Life Science of the Beijing Normal University) is not an amateur.

Two is that he actually visited the Daba Mountains. Three times.

Three is he found footprints and trees used for sharpening claws.   

So there were tigers at the border between Hubei and Sechuan in 2009-2010. Wild tigers. Panthera tigris amoyensis. No question. 

Remarkable. So much so, that we need another source. A good one. Anything available?

Yes.

In 2006, Prof. Liu Shifeng of the Northwest China University headed a group of 30 zoologists (...) to trace the tiger in the outback of Shaanxi Province (north of Hubei and Sechuan Provinces). During 2 trips that together lasted two and a half months, they searched through 130 000 hectares of forests.

They didn't see a tiger, but found large footprints (15 x 15 cm.) and remains of wild boars that had been torn apart.

They also visited 19 villages in rural regions and talked to people who had seen a wild tiger. Two peasants from Zengjiazhen town (Zhenping County), Song Keming and Wang Genhua, saw a tiger on a hill on June 15, 2006. 

A fata morgana, no doubt? Not likely.

A report of the Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Administration said that wild South China tigers had been spotted 17 times in Zhenping County. 

The article I read (Xinhua News Agency) was from July 15, 2007. Here's the link:  
  
http://www.china.org.cn/english/China/217122.htm


H2 - Conclusion

Based on the paper of Li-Yuan Liu published in November 2010 and the newspaper article discussed in this post published in July 2007, the conclusion is that there were wild tigers in the southeastern part of Shaanxi Province, the northeastern part of Sechuan Province and the northwestern tip of Hubei Province in the period 2006-2010. Based on the map, my guess is Hunan Province most probably also had a few tigers in the extreme northwest.

Li-Yuan Liu (Beijing Normal University) and Prof. Liu Shifeng (Northwest China University) didn't actually see tigers, but what they found proved that there were tigers in the regions they visited. As both are well-educated and connected to well-known universities, dismissing their conclusions isn't even an option. Reply