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

[peter]

KOREAN TIGERS

Good information was posted by Roflcopters, Kingtheropod and Greatearth. The info resulted in a small debate, that wasn't completely concluded. My guess is Greatearth will take care of a follow-up soon.  

As to the information posted. It was known that the Japanese had declared war on dangerous animals during the occupation of Korea. Based on everything we have, it's safe to conclude that tigers most probably disappeared in the early twenties of the last century in the southern part of Korea.

In that period of time, tigers were also severely hunted in Manchuria and the Russian Far East. In Manchuria, tigers most probably disappeared in the late forties or early fifties of the last century. The giant male shot by the Jankovsky's near the Sungari River in July of 1943 could have been one of the last.

In the Russian Far East, a few dozen survived the unslaught. Might have been a result of the Second World War, but my guess is that Kaplanov also made a difference. Although his effort resulted in protection in the Russian Far East, the Russians showed no mercy in the Caspian region. Tigers largely disappeared in the fifties and sixties of the last century. Agriculture.

In China, in about the same period, the Great Leap Forward also resulted in a declaration of war on tigers. They largely disappeared in the fifties and sixties of the last century. 

The war on tigers in Korea, the Russian Far East, Manchuria, the Caspian and China lasted for about 60 years. In each of the regions mentioned, apart from the Russian Far East, tigers were all but completely exterminated in less than two decades. In the seventies of the last century, tigers were functionally extinct in most parts of western, central and eastern Asia.   

Although I appreciate the debate on Korean tigers, I wonder about the last Chinese tigers. There's no question that there were a few tigers left in remote parts of central China in 2011. A few articles were discussed in this thread, but apart from that it's been very quiet on the eastern front.    

Anyone capable of finding a bit more on the remaining tigers of China? Reply