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On the afternoon of October 3rd, Zhou Zhenglong, a villager from Wencai Village, Chengguan Town, Zhenping County, Shaanxi Province, took a precious photo of the wild South China tiger in Shenzhou Bay, Wencai Village. This is the first record of the discovery of South China Tiger in Qinba Mountain area of Shaanxi Province in the past 43 years. China News Agency issued Zhou Zhenglong photo
Early yesterday morning, Lu Xirong rushed to the office to step up the preparation of a report submitted to the Shaanxi Provincial Government and the State Forestry Administration. Lu Xirong is the captain of the investigation team of South China Tiger in Shaanxi Province, and he is the most knowledgeable person about the wild South China Tiger in Shaanxi Province. It is precisely because of this that Lucy Rongcheng has become the target of media pursuit in recent days.
On October 3rd, Zhou Zhenglong, a villager in Wencai Village, Zhenping County, Shaanxi Province, and the guide of the investigation team, took photos of the wild South China tiger. These photos are the most direct evidence to confirm the existence of the South China tiger for the first time since 1964. Now, Shaanxi wild South China tiger discovery site is required to stop all hunting activities.
How can we be sure that this set of photos is true? What kind of protection will Shaanxi Province carry out for the South China Tiger next? On these issues, the reporter had an exclusive interview with Lu Xirong.
Reporter: Historically, is Shaanxi the main activity area for tigers?
Lucion: Yes. Tigers in Shaanxi are mainly distributed in two areas in history. One is in the Qinling Mountains. In 1964, a South China tiger was found killed in Heping County, Qinling Mountains. Tigers have been found in recent 40 years. Another area is the Daba Mountains. The place where the South China Tiger was discovered this time belongs to this mountain range.
The investigation team dare not sleep at night.
Reporter: Under what background did the investigation of wild South China tigers in Shaanxi begin?
Lu Xirong: In recent years, people often report the discovery of tigers. In order to find out the situation, I made a special investigation in Zhenping County in March last year. I found that Zhenping County has high mountains and deep forests and a small population, which is very suitable for the survival of wild tigers. In addition, there are many local herbivores, such as wild boar, crested deer and impala, which are very suitable for the survival of South China tigers. Therefore, after I came back, I immediately set up the South China Tiger Investigation Team in Shaanxi Province.
Reporter: How many members are there in Shaanxi South China Tiger Investigation Team? What is the composition of the players?
Lu Xirong: This survey was organized and implemented by Shaanxi Nature Reserve and Wildlife Management Station. There are 30 members of the South China Tiger Investigation Team in Shaanxi Province, including 10 local guides. There are professors, senior researchers and rangers in local forest farms. Most of the guides are people who have been engaged in hunting for a long time before. They are familiar with the situation on the mountain and have mastered the activities of the South China Tiger. And the most familiar with the situation is Zhou Zhenglong.
Reporter: So far, how many investigations have been conducted by the South China Tiger Investigation Team?
Lu Xirong: There were three large-scale investigations. The first survey started in June 2006 and lasted for 12 days. In January 2007, we launched the second survey, which also lasted for 19 days. The third survey was launched in March, mainly to supplement the previous survey.
Reporter: Where are the areas under investigation concentrated?
Lu Xirong: The latest investigation was carried out in Zhenping County and Pingli County, involving 135,000 hectares, mainly in Zhenping County.
Reporter: Has the investigation ever been in danger?
Lu Xirong: The investigation team is quite hard and very difficult in the mountains. Because the tiger is not a panda after all, the wild South China tiger is two or three meters long, very fierce and aggressive, so it is quite dangerous to search in the mountains.
In January, 2007, a 3-person investigation team went up the mountain and found the footprints of a very valuable tiger. The investigation team members want to continue to investigate further, but if they return that night, they will still go to this place the next day. Therefore, the investigation team decided to spend the night on the mountain at that time. The team members set up a simple tent with plastic sheets in the snow. All night, the team members were worried that they might be attacked by tigers, so they made a fire on the ground and sat around all night.
The villagers have caught young tigers.
Reporter: What evidence did the investigation team find in the past?
Lu Xirong: In recent years, local villagers have seen the South China Tiger 20 times. There are 9 incidents in which the South China tiger preys on people, wild animals and livestock. Especially in October 1972, Tang Zhiqing, a 27-year-old villager from Wencai Village, Zhenping County, was eaten by a tiger. In May 1979, a villager in Wencai Village, Zhenping County once captured two tiger cubs in a cave. In addition, the local villagers heard the South China tiger cry five times in estrus and found feces three times.
On January 19 and February 6, 2007, the investigation team found the footprint chain of South China Tiger in Wencai Village. The place where the footprints were found was 1900 meters above sea level, and the temperature at that time was MINUS 20 degrees Celsius. The front footprint is 13.5 ~ 15cm long, the back footprint is 14.5 ~ 16cm long, and the step distance is 109 ~ 110cm. Footprints are oval, and claw marks are obvious because of the deep snow. According to the identification, these footprints were left by the South China Tiger.
Reporter: How can we be sure that this is the footprint of the South China Tiger?
Lu Xirong: We specially compared the photos of Siberian tigers raised in Qinling Wildlife Park in Xi ‘an, and found that the footprints are very similar, but the footprints are small. Because the South China tiger is smaller than the Northeast tiger. On July 6 this year, Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Department organized experts to analyze, study and identify, and determined that it was the footprint of South China Tiger.
The photos of South China Tiger have been appraised.
Reporter: Why didn’t the investigation team see the South China Tiger with their own eyes?
Lu Xirong: First of all, the number of South China tigers is very rare. Secondly, tigers are not animals that move in groups, but generally individuals come out to move. Moreover, the life habit of the South China tiger is to hide in one place to sleep during the day and come out for activities and predation at night. It is very difficult to see the South China Tiger with your own eyes. When we investigate, we usually go up the mountain in groups of three, and the sound is relatively loud. The South China tiger has a keen sense of smell and hearing, and it will run away when it hears it far away.
Reporter: When did you see this photo taken by Zhou Zhenglong? What was it like at that time?
Lucirong: I first saw this group of photos on the afternoon of October 10th. At that time, I was very happy and excited But it was also my expectation that the wild South China tiger was photographed. According to the investigation, the South China Tiger does exist, so I think the photos of the South China Tiger can definitely be photographed, even if Zhou Zhenglong can’t, others can certainly be photographed.
There may be eight South China tigers.
Reporter: How can this group of photos be sure to be true?
Lucirong: This time, Zhou Zhenglong photographed the South China Tiger with a film camera and a digital camera, which was borrowed from his relatives. At that time, the distance between Zhou Zhenglong and the tiger was about 60 meters, and the South China tiger did not move when shooting. There are 31 film photos and 40 digital cameras in this group of photos taken by Zhou Zhenglong.
After the photos were sent, the leaders of Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Department attached great importance to them. Sun Chengqian, deputy director of the Forestry Department, was also an animal expert. He carefully appraised the photos sent, especially the negatives, and confirmed that they were true.
In addition, Zhou Zhenglong was once one of the most experienced hunters in the area. He was very familiar with the life habits of the South China Tiger, and it was entirely possible to find the South China Tiger.
Reporter: You once analyzed that this South China tiger is a young tiger. How did you see that?
Lu Xirong: This South China tiger is round in shape, with a particularly shiny coat. It is not very big. You can tell it is a young tiger at a glance, but you can’t tell its gender. This South China tiger is about four or five years old, which is equivalent to 14 or 5 years old for people. The age of wild tigers is between 25 and 30.
Reporter: What’s your judgment on the situation of the local South China Tiger?
Lu Xirong: We have confirmed that there are indeed wild South China tigers in Zhenping County, Shaanxi Province, and they are a small population with reproductive capacity.
Reporter: What is the basis?
Lu Xirong: There should be at least one wild South China tiger breeding unit in this area. A breeding unit refers to four to five South China tigers, or even seven or eight. Without a breeding unit, this South China tiger can’t survive.
Reward is to promote the awareness of protection.
Reporter: Why should Zhou Zhenglong be rewarded with 20,000 yuan?
Lu Xirong: The purpose is to encourage local villagers to protect wild animals. If the local people hunt, their income is less than 1,000 to 2,000 yuan a year. This time, Zhou Zhenglong will be rewarded with 20,000 yuan, which is to advocate a sense of protecting wild animals in the local area.
Reporter: What is the significance of the rediscovery of the South China Tiger?
Lucion: It’s very significant. For more than 40 years, there is no strongest record of the wild South China tiger in China. Some international media have published articles saying that the wild South China tiger has become extinct. This discovery proves that this species has not become extinct, which is of great significance for the protection of species. In the past, the State Forestry Administration analyzed that there were 20 ~ 30 wild South China tigers in China. This discovery is a powerful demonstration.
The reappearance of the wild South China tiger also shows that our country has made great efforts in ecological protection in recent years.
Reporter: What are your plans for the protection of wild South China tigers?
Lu Xirong: To build a national wild South China Tiger Reserve, it needs certain procedures, investigation and expert argumentation. Now, we are going to take an emergency temporary protection measure first, that is, to establish a special protection area for wild South China tigers. Now, all hunting activities are stopped in the wild South China tiger discovery area in Shaanxi.
Wild South China tigers may also be found in Lingnan area.
(Reporter yangjin) Recently, the reporter learned that the most active area of the South China Tiger was actually Guangdong and its surrounding areas, but in recent decades, the number has decreased and then decreased. At present, a tiger-hunting team composed of more than 10 people, with the support of the Guangdong Provincial Forestry Department, once again went into the mountains to find tigers.
As early as October 10th, 2006, supported by Guangdong Provincial Forestry Department, more than 10 South China Tiger field expedition teams from Guangdong South China Institute of Endangered Animals officially went deep into Nanling area, the only place in Guangdong where South China tigers may exist, and started the official road of tiger hunting. The tiger-hunting team originally planned to search for tigers in the mountains and virgin forests twice a year, but now the search density has increased, and there are five or six times a year to look for tigers in the mountains.
It is understood that in the 1950s, there were about 4,000 wild South China tigers in China, but only after more than 10 years, the number dropped to less than 100. From 1990 to 1992, the State Forestry Administration organized a survey of South China tigers and their habitats in Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces, and the published results were 20-30. In the survey in Guangdong Province from 2000 to 2002, the number was only 5-6. Dr. Hu Huijian, captain of the tiger search team of Guangdong South China Institute of Endangered Animals, said, "The number of wild South China tigers is even less than that of the national treasure giant panda, which has to be worrying."
Newly discovered south China tiger or new tiger species
After more than a year’s efforts, did Guangdong Souhu team find the wild South China tiger? Hu Huijian told the reporter truthfully that it has not been found yet, but with the deepening of the investigation, it is very promising to find the South China Tiger in Guangdong.
"But we still hope to find it." Hu Huijian introduced that there are 280,000 square kilometers of mountainous areas in Guangdong, at least half of which are suitable for the survival of the South China Tiger. Although it has only retreated to Nanling, this area has at least 40,000 square kilometers to support its life. At present, all surveys in Guangdong only cover 1/10 of its area, and there are still many places where trees are too tall and grass can’t get in. What is the situation there is unknown. "Now that we have remote sensing technology and developed transportation, there is hope to expand the investigation area, which is also the hope of finding the South China Tiger."
For this South China tiger found in Shaanxi, Dr. Hu Huijian made a bolder speculation. He believed that this tiger was located in the special area at the end of Qinling Mountains in terms of distribution range, and it may be a new tiger species, but it needs further confirmation. If this hypothesis is established, its significance may be greater than the discovery of wild South China tigers. Guangzhou Daily News Blue Page reporter He Tao.
Editor: Wang Yuxi
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