The birth of 84 endangered Siberian tiger cubs since March in China this year has given a new hope to the environmentalists, as it is a boost to the survival chances of the endangered species.
All the cubs in the Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Centre in Heilongjiang province are fine. The count will again increase as thirteen tigresses are due to give birth by October. This breeding centre with only eight tigers was set up in 1986. Now it has 750 . The centre has also plans to free 620 tigers in the wild.
The Siberian tiger, rarest member of the cat family is one of the world’s 10 most endangered creatures. At present only 400 survive in the wild, 20 in northern China and the remaining are in the Russian Far East.
Scientists are trying to set up a gene bank to ensure the genetic diversity of the species. To ensure that the Siberian tiger survive in the wild two things are must. One is their habitat encroachment must stop and the other is putting an end to the thousands of years old tradition of using tiger parts for medicinal purposes.
Source: BBC