This is a little morality story concerning a Siberian tiger and a Chinese man. The Chinese man is Qu Shuangxi (“Mr Qu”). Mr Qu liked to go hunting or trapping for deer. Almost 4 years ago Mr Qu was returning from a trapping trip with his friend. Apparently, many Chinese in the province of Jilin, China like to trap (snare) wildlife. There are no wildlife traps and snares in neighboring Russia but lots in China.
Mr Qu had caught a red deer. They were 3 km from their village. They were talking about how they would enjoy eating the red deer.
Suddenly a Siberian tiger appeared behind them about 12 yards away. The area where they were walking is not far from the border with Russia and one of two places where the Siberian tiger has its range in Russia which is to the west of Vladivostok. Most Siberian tigers live in Russia but apparently about 20, a very small number, live in north-east China just over the border from Russia.
The tiger who was stalking Mr Qu was one of these 20, rare tigers. Mr Qu and his friend ran as fast as they could which may have been the wrong thing to do because when you turn your back and run a tiger will always run after you and catch up with you. In India and Bangladesh some people who are forced to live in close proximity with the Bengal tiger wear a face mask on the back of their head which gives the impression to a tiger that the person is facing them even when they are turned away from the tiger. This has proved to be an effective way of preventing tigers attacks.
Clearly Mr Qu had not heard about that tip and the tiger quickly caught up with them and swiped Qu with its paw causing serious and permanent damage to his shoulder.
The tiger was far too quick for Mr Qu but it transpired that the tiger had been trapped by one of Mr Qu’s snares and had broken free of it but the snare was still attached to him. Despite this massive encumbrance and injury the tiger was able to catch up to Mr Qu. Fortunately for Mr Qu the tiger turned his attention to the red deer and ate that and not him.
Not only did Mr Qu, through his callous and reckless behaviour by laying snares, cause the tiger to threaten his life he had also killed an incredibly rare tiger because the tiger who attacked him died about eight days later of his injuries caused by the snare Qu had laid.
Tigers do not attack people except when they are forced to because they have lost their ability to attack their normal prey due to injury, illness or old age.
The end of the story is a little more optimistic because Mr Qu has turned from a hunter to a gamekeeper. He is now a volunteer with the pilot conservation project in the area where he lives. He has seen the error of his ways and the light, which is to preserve this incredibly precious and magnificent wild cat species that is so rare. There are only about 400 Siberian tigers in the entire world and there is a real danger that they will become extinct simply because of inbreeding due to their very low number.
The moral is to respect the Siberian tiger and not to hurt it through ignorance, carelessness or callousness.
http://bigcatrescue.org/inbred-white-tiger-gives-birth-in-ukraine/
If we can do anything to protect them, what do YOU suggest we do?
It is said that the Russians are doing quite well in protecting them but very late in the day. The population declined a lot and then stabilised at 400 which is the often quoted figure and has been for many years. Estimating tiger numbers is problematic. There always estimates so we can’t count on the figures. There’s not much more that can be done except to conserve they habitat where they are found which is to the east (the largest area) and the West (a relatively small area) of the city of Vladivostok in the Far East Russia. Also, to prevent poaching. There are properly quite safe in the Far East Russia because not many people want to live there for the obvious reason that it is freezing cold and inhospitable to humans which makes it a great place for a tiger who has adapted to the cold.
And they live, what, on average in the wild, eight years now? Do you have the stats, Michael. I know that they do not live long, given limits on territory. 🙁 grrr…
They probably live in between 5 and 15 years but I don’t think anybody knows the average lifespan of a Siberian tiger.
Russia, I meant. sorry.
What do we have, PoC, 350 Siberian tigers left in Siberia, or maybe 200? 50 in extradition territory? Michael?
400 total estimated but with the breeding ability of 14 due to sterility due to inbreeding due to low population.
I do not pretend to know anything re: our Siberian tigers in their native habitat. This article did catch my attention. I do not know what any country involved is doing to save them, governmentally.
http://english.cri.cn/11354/2014/01/08/2724s807182.htm
This poor soul was documented in Zhejiang province, January of 2014.
There is a lot of conservation attempts going on to save the Siberian tiger and most of it comes from Russia because that is where the tiger lives but the population size is so small it makes surviving difficult. Apparently the 400 Siberian tiger population in Russia (estimated) is effectively about 14 tigers when it comes to the ability to procreate. China completely exterminated the South China tiger so we can’t really count on them to be fantastic conservationists.
I read that story that you linked to and it is typical of poaching of tigers. The carcasses are shipped back to China where they are cut up and the parts used in various medicines and drinks or foods. Poaching for tiger parts for the Asian market and loss of habitat, which is probably due to industry in Russia, are the 2 major reasons why the Siberian tiger population is precarious.
We have tread upon this before, as you know. What is the population, now?
Exactly. It is to be reviled. By every single country. Every single contingent. It is despicable. China is one of the very worst offenders. We all know. 🙁 their government, which cont5’s their People’s Republic. Meow? Mao? Miao? [the true citizens of the republic of china, the children, both genders, rule.] enough said. get educated, as you are. Let the world know!
Mao was a bloody monster.