I am a regular cat researcher. After scientific and rigorous analysis and judgment, I believe that there may still be wild South China tiger in Shanxi Province. As we all know, my country is the country with the largest variety of tigers. There are currently four types of tigers distributed from north to south, namely Siberian tiger , South China tiger, Indochina tiger , and Bengal tiger . Among them, South China tiger is a unique tiger species in my country and is very precious. It has been widely distributed in many provinces in my country in history. It can be reached to Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong to the north, and to the south, it can be distributed to Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hunan and other places. It can be said that the distribution area is very wide.
South China tiger is primitive than other tiger species. The ratio of skull length to skull width is larger, the body is slender, and the abdomen is thinner. The head is round, the ears are short, the limbs are thick and strong, the tail is long, the chest and abdomen are mixed with milky white, the whole body is orange-yellow and covered with black horizontal lines. The South China tiger has a smaller individual and is one of the few smallest subspecies among the tiger species. The male tiger is about 2.5 meters long from head to tail. The weight is about 150 kilograms. The female tiger has a length of about 2.3 meters from head to tail, a tail length of 80-100 cm, and a weight of about 120 kilograms. The fur of South China tigers has short and narrow stripes, and the spacing of the stripes is larger than that of Bengal and Siberian tigers, and diamond patterns often appear on the sides of the body.
1950s and 1960s: According to incomplete statistics on the annual purchase volume of tiger skins in my country's fur market, 1,750 tiger skins were acquired nationwide in 1956. In the 1950s, tigers were found in more than 20 counties in Jiangxi Province, and 171 tigers were caught in the province from 1955 to 1956. In the 1950s and 1960s, no trace of tigers was found in Wanxian County, east of Sichuan, and Dabashan area at the junction of Shaanxi, Sichuan and Hubei. From 1952 to 1953, Hunan Province caught 170 tigers.
In 1964, based on the number of tiger bones and tiger skins purchased in various places, it was estimated that at that time, about 800 South China tigers were hunted every year. Tigers were also caught in Anhui in 1966. There were more than 250 tiger hunting html in Guangdong Province in the early 1950s, and about 20 in the 1960s. In 1958, it was caught in Qingzhen in central Guizhou, and in 1959, it was caught in Weining, western Guizhou. The tiger in the Qinling region was extinct in the 1960s. From 1960 to 1963, Henan Province caught at least 60 tigers. From the 1970s to 1970s, the annual hunting volume of South China tigers in Jiangxi was less than 10, and no tigers were caught since 1975.
Henan Province caught 7 tigers every year in the early 1970s, and Zhejiang Province caught 3 tigers every year in the early 1970s. In the 1970s, less than 10 tiger hunting were hunted in Guangdong Province. The last wild tiger was caught in Hunan in 1976. In the late 1970s, it was estimated that the number of wild South China tigers nationwide was 40-80. The last tiger caught in Shanxi Province was found in January 1974 after receiving a pair of tiger bones in Yuanping County.
1979 Only one tiger skin was received throughout the year in China. After the 1980s, the number of wild South China tigers has become very small. Some people estimate that the total number of wild South China tigers in my country is 30-80. The last wild tiger caught in Hubei was in 1983. A cub was found in Baihuwan Forest Farm in Lichuan City, and then sent to Chongqing Zoo . Statistics in May 1987 showed that there were 4 adult tigers and 12 cubs in Guangdong Province. From 1990 to 1992, the former Ministry of Forestry and the World Wildlife Foundation conducted a survey on the South China tigers and their habitats. It estimated that there were 20-30 South China tigers at the junction of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian in my country at that time. Early 21st century No wild tiger was seen during the search process of South China tigers and their habitats in 2000-2001. Some foreign scholars believe that the wild South China tiger has become extinct.
has been around for decades, and there has been no strong evidence to show that there are tigers in many areas where tigers are rumored to be present. In recent years, tiger tracks have been found in southern Hunan, northern Jiangxi, central Jiangxi, northern Guangdong and western Fujian, but no photos have been proved. The following are the locations (6 provinces) where wild South China tiger activity tracks were found in the past 20 years. The estimated number is 15, and perhaps the actual number is smaller. There may even be no one.
In this case, experts and researchers from all walks of life have speculated where the wild South China tiger still exists? How many can it exist? Although with the increasing development of scientific monitoring methods, there are still no traces of wild South China tigers in the wild, this does not mean that wild South China tigers have really become extinct. Based on the current analysis of various situations, I think the province with the most likely distribution of wild South China tigers is Shanxi Province.
may be considered a fantasy and has no credibility. In fact, this is a manifestation of the historical distribution of South China tigers and the lack of understanding of the wildlife protection situation in Shanxi Province. This is also understandable. I think the reason why wild South China tigers are still possible in Shanxi Province is mainly supported by four major factors:
1. There has been a distribution of South China tigers in history
The South China tigers are distributed very widely in history, among which there are many distributions in Shanxi. Historically, South China tigers are in Shanxi, from Datong in the north to Yuncheng in the south, and there are historical records of South China tigers in Shanxi 800 miles north and south. Especially during the Republic of China, South China tigers were often captured. In the 21st year of the Republic of China, in 1932, a South China tiger that came down from Zhongtiaoshan was captured in Shanxi. The tiger was eventually shot dead and was photographed. This precious photo was also left behind. At that time, the location where the South China tiger was captured was Baifang Village, Qingtou Town, Yongji City, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. The photo shows a tiger tied up in Baifang Village, Yuxiang County, Shanxi Province in the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932).
Yuxiang County , the main jurisdiction is in the eastern part of today's Yongji City and the western part of the Yanhu District of Yuncheng City. In 1954, Yuxiang County and Xie County were merged into Jieyu County and merged into Yuncheng County in 1958. Yuncheng has three types of landforms: mountain, hill and plain, with plain area accounting for 58.2% of the total area, and mountain and hilly areas accounting for 41.8% of the total area. There are mainly four major mountains, including Zhongtiao Mountain, Luliang Mountain, , Jiwang Mountain and Gufeng Mountain, with an area of 2,674 square kilometers, accounting for 19.1% of the total area, which is very suitable for the survival of South China tigers.
In fact, during the historical period, South China tigers in Shanxi were widely distributed. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, human-tiger conflicts have intensified, and tiger disasters have become increasingly frequent. Before the Qing Dynasty, tiger activities in Shanxi were endless. As early as the pre-Qin period, Mencius once said, "The Jin people had Feng's wife, who were good at fighting tigers and became good men after all." Therefore, the idiom "become Feng's wife again". Northern Wei , Li Daoyuan "Shui Jing Zhu" records Huoshan (now Taiyueshan ) and said: "Huotaishan has a Yue Temple, the temple is very spiritual, the black bird does not live in the forest, and the fierce tiger always guards its courtyard." Although it is not believed fully, there should be no problem with tigers appearing in Huoshan. During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, tigers also appeared in Longmen Mountain, Hejin County.
After the Ming Dynasty, the records of tiger diseases gradually increased, and conflicts between people and tigers became increasingly intensified. The people’s measures to deal with tiger diseases include hunting and praying for gods. For example, in the autumn of the first year of Hongzhi in northern Jin Dynasty (1488), there was a tiger in the south mountain of Yingzhou. The governor Xue Jingzhi sacrificed him for writing. It is said that the tiger died in the valley for ten days. Hequ County In the third year of Hongzhi (1490), in July of autumn, tigers and wolves devoured people; in April of the 14th year (1501), a tiger entered the country and was captured. Fanzhi County The seventh year of Jiajing (1528) There was a severe epidemic in spring and many tiger disasters in autumn. In the eighth year of Wanli, Baodezhou (1580), the tiger entered the Machi Lake of Sunjiagou, and the people rushed to Xiling, and the thousand households Sun Guangzuo captured it.
The distribution of tigers in Shanxi in the Qing Dynasty was basically coupled with the main mountain ranges in Shanxi. It can be divided into Taiyuan, with fewer in the north and more in the south. The northern part of the north is Taihang Mountain , Hengshan , and Wutai Mountain is the most distributed. The tiger's disease is concentrated in the junction of Taihang Mountain and Hengshan, and the Luya Mountain area of the northern section of Luliang Mountain; the southern section of Luliang Mountain is the most concentrated in the southern section of Luliang Mountain, the Taiyue Mountain area, the Zhongtiao Mountain area, and the southern section of Taihang Mountain are the most distributed in the southern section of Luliang Mountain, and the southern section of Taihang Mountain. It is the area with the most distributed tiger's disease in Shanxi in the Qing Dynasty. The habitat of tigers is forests and mountains, and it likes places where forests, shrubs and weeds are overgrown, which has strong ecological indications.
Based on today's Shanxi topographic map, the average altitude of the mountainous areas distributed in Shanxi in the Qing Dynasty was about 2,000 meters, but the range of tigers in Shanxi in the Qing Dynasty was wider. The emergence of tiger disease shows that tigers affect residential areas in lowlands. By the late Qing Dynasty, with human production, development and hunting, the number of tigers in Shanxi decreased greatly, and it had retreated to the scattered valleys of hanging rocks, and the active area contracted to high altitude areas, and tiger disasters were rarely recorded. At the same time, the distribution of tigers in Shanxi in the Qing Dynasty can also indirectly infer the rough distribution of forests in Shanxi in the Qing Dynasty, and the areas where tigers are affected are mostly forest damage and serious human-land conflicts.
2. Shanxi Province has the ecological environment in which South China tigers exist
Shanxi is the province with the best ecological environment in North China and the province with the richest forest resources, especially in Shanxi, Guancen Mountain, Wutai Mountain in Shuocheng District, Heshun County, Yuci District, Jixian Renzu Mountain and other places, there may be residual tiger distribution on some hills. The most likely is Lishan, located at the junction of Qinshui County, Yuanqu County, , and Yicheng County, . It still preserves the only "primitive forest" in North China. There are abundant water, dense forests, wild animals, and few people to visit. Nearly a hundred valleys are crisscrossed, and it is also very likely that South China tigers are inhabited.
, especially Shanxi implemented a seven-month hunting ban period between March 15 and October 15 in 1992. It began to ban the deforestation of natural forests in 1998, and the ecology in the mountains will improve year by year. The Three North Cats and Animal Research Institute conducted real-time monitoring of 11 cat animals in seven counties and cities including , Shun , , Yuci , and other seven counties and cities, and the results were unexpected. In addition to monitoring more than 2,200 North China Leopard and Leopard cats, the discovery of grassland tabby cats and jackals was also a rare thing at that time, and the number of brown horse chicken and black cranes was also considerable.
, especially Shanxi, there are a lot of wild boars. In the primeval forests in local areas, the number of wild boars even exceeds the natural capacity. Because wild boars have very strong reproductive ability, they can store about 10 in each nest, and can store 1 to 2 nests a year, which soon forms a huge population, which provides a sufficient source of food for South China tigers. Wild boars, whether they are Siberian tigers or South China tigers, are particularly favorite predators.
, especially wild boars have become locally flooded in many places in Shanxi. These wild boars go down the mountain in groups to eat the crops grown by farmers. Especially in autumn, when crops such as corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes and other crops mature, wild boars can be said to go down the mountain in groups to sweep. Many farmers have worked hard to grow a year of food, and they will eat them all overnight. Since wild boars are now , three protected animals, and farmers' hunting rifles have been confiscated. The number of wild boars cannot be controlled artificially and must be controlled through natural ecological chains. South China tigers, North China leopards, and wolfs are the best choices to control the number of wild boar populations.
3. The cousin of the South China tiger, the North China leopard, is in good living conditions in Shanxi Province
The South China tiger and the North China leopard are close relatives. Their body shapes are not particularly different, and the targets they hunt are basically the same. They are all mainly hunting targets such as wild boars, roe deer, sika deer , goril , etc. As the main hunting targets. In recent years, the North China leopard has reproduced very well in Shanxi. Shanxi North China leopards have long become an ecological business card for the local area, because although there are no more than 2,000 North China leopards in the country, they are extremely rare first-class protected animals.
As of 2021, Shanxi wild plants 743 species, accounting for 22.8% of the country, and 541 species of terrestrial wild animals, accounting for 24% of the country. According to the second national key protected wildlife resources survey in Shanxi Province completed in 2019 in seven years, wildlife populations and higher plant communities in the province have been effectively protected, and more than 30 plants and 17 bird species have new distribution and new records in Shanxi.
At the same time, there are nearly 20,000 wild brown horse chickens in Shanxi Province, and the distribution range has expanded from Luliangshan to the whole province, becoming a veritable "provincial bird".The distribution area of rare and endangered species such as Big Bumblebee , Crane , Black Stork , Southern Yew and other rare and endangered species has expanded, and the population has grown steadily. There are about 13,000 large swans in Shanxi, more than 23,000 gray cranes in and . The number of great bustards and black storks has increased to more than 400.
In June 2020, villagers in Xiyang County, Jinzhong City discovered the North China Leopard F8, known as the "Little Princess of Taihang Mountain" on the roadside. After giving birth to two cubs in 2018, F8, which has recovered from being single, has become more and more extensive, and has appeared for the first time in counties outside of and in Heshun County.
Currently, except for Datong and Shuozhou City , the other 9 cities in Shanxi are distributed. Preliminary statistics include 48 stable populations and 8 concentrated distribution areas, and 132 individuals can be identified, becoming a business card to witness Shanxi's good ecology.
Due to Shanxi's unique natural environment, the province-level state-owned forests such as Zhongtiao Mountain, Luliang Mountain, Taiyue Mountain and Guandi Mountain in the province have their activity trajectories. It is estimated that there are about 1,000 living people, and they are distributed in 11 cities in the province. Moreover, the population and distribution range of North China leopards in Shanxi are constantly expanding. In Heshun County, Shanxi Province, where the distribution of North China leopards is relatively large, the original population density of North China leopards was about 1.2 per square kilometer, and now it has reached 2.0 per square kilometer, and the reproduction and growth rate is very gratifying.
North China leopard can live so comfortably in the deep mountains and forests of Shanxi, and it is in a very good state of reproduction. This also provides a proof of the survival and development of South China tigers in Shanxi, because the hunting ability and survival skills of South China tigers are stronger than those of North China leopards. Since North China leopards can survive, there is no reason why South China tigers cannot survive.
4. In recent years, witnesses have seen wild South China tigers in Shanxi Province
In recent years, local villagers in some places in Shanxi still claim to have witnessed South China tigers. Although it is possible to be confused with North China leopards, some ordinary people have indeed seen yellow sticks. The so-called yellow sticks are a common name for South China tigers by Shanxi people. Because one person claimed that he had read it wrong, there was a possibility that he could read it wrong. Now many people think that he really saw the yellow stick and was a very experienced old man. They can analyze the South China tiger and the North China leopard more thoroughly, which also provides great evidence for the possibility that the South China tiger really exists in Shanxi.
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1979, Zhang Quancai, the Daozuo Brigade of Yuanping County, used a teapot to load explosives and killed a tiger. The county's medicinal materials company purchased its 3.6 kilograms of tiger bones. After investigation, the shipping notes for the acquisition of tiger bones were 8007-3.
On July 28, 1984, Hou Zhankui, the captain of the forestry investigation team of Wutai Mountain Forest Bureau, led five team members and met a tiger in Tongqiangou, Wutai County, standing there looking at them. Hearing people's shouts, the tiger slowly walked out of the grass and slowly moved away, and the forestry investigation team members were safe and sound.
On May 11, 1986, an old man surnamed Wang from Ningwu County was cleared from his own field. At a distance of thirty or forty meters, he clearly saw three "yellow sticks", including two young tigers.
At around 18:00 on August 27, 1987, Guo Sishu, secretary of the Party Branch of Shiziping Village, Boqiang Township, Fanzhi County, and four others were inspecting the forest land and saw a big yellow-brown tiger.
In October 1990, Wang Maocheng, Wang Huazhuang, Shuocheng District, Shuozhou, saw a small tiger about half a meter long while working on Lianhua Mountain. "It is of extraordinary significance to be able to see a small tiger, which means that there is still a female tiger breeding."
In October 2002, a villager reported to Shanxi Evening News that a tiger was found in a village in Wuzhai County, Xinzhou. The reporter made a special trip to interview, but there was no way to confirm it.
Old man Wang Fulin, former professor of the Department of Biology at Shanxi University, used his 50 years to exchange for evidence that there is still a South China tiger in Shanxi. Although there is no conclusive evidence, based on his decades of love for wild animals and his steadily and unremitting field investigation and research, he came up with his personal opinion: until now, wild tigers in Shanxi may not have disappeared. The latest acquisition of tiger bones in Shanxi was in the early 1980s, when the number of acquisitions had been very small.
Professor Wang pointed out that the small number of acquisitions of South China tigers in Shanxi indicates that the number of hunting and killing tigers is also very small, which provides the possibility for the South China tiger population to reproduce. It also shows that Shanxi's population density is not that high, and tigers live better in deep mountains and forests, and the conflict with humans is not as fierce as southern provinces.
Professor Wang analyzed: There may be residual tigers on some hills in Guancen Mountain in Shanxi, Lianhua Mountain in Shuocheng District, Wutai Mountain in Wutai Mountain, Heshun County and Yuci District, Jixian Renzu Mountain (above 1,700 meters above sea level). Lishan, located at the junction of Qinshui County, Yuanqu County and Yicheng County, still preserves the only "primitive forest" in North China. There are abundant water, dense forests, wild animals, and few people to visit. Nearly a hundred valleys are crisscrossed, and it is very likely that tigers or other extinct animals are inhabited.
Through the above four strong arguments, we believe that there are still a possibility of wild South China tigers in , Sanjin in Shanxi. Of course, judging from the current situation, this possibility is getting smaller and smaller, which is also an ending we do not want to see. I sincerely hope that as we inferred, the South China tiger still reproduces and thrives freely in the deep mountains and forests of the Three Jin land. It is really a blessing for the South China tiger, a blessing for mankind, and a blessing for harmonious coexistence of nature.
If Shanxi students really do not have wild South China tigers, then the next step for the country's field training or wild release of South China tigers is the country's first choice. I think the place of choice can also be placed in the primeval forest of Lishan in Shanxi. Because for top predators like South China Tiger, their existence can effectively control the number of local herbivores, eliminate local elderly, weak, sick and disabled individuals, and prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases.
At present, the work of Hunan Province and Fujian Province in wild release of South China tigers is relatively advanced, and a large amount of basic work has been carried out, especially Hunan Province has all the basic conditions, and it is likely that the first choice for South China tigers will be placed in Hunan for wild release in the future. Hupingshan Reserve covers an area of 666 square kilometers. It is the largest forest ecosystem and wildlife type national nature reserve in Hunan and even in , Central and South . It has historically been an important habitat for South China tigers.
Established a Hunan South China tiger wild releasing experimental base in Hupingshan National Nature Reserve in Hupingshan National Nature Reserve, which is obviously a result of comprehensive consideration by relevant national departments. This protected area borders Hubei Wufeng Houhe and Zhangjiajie Bada Gongshan National Nature Reserve. The three protected areas have a total area of more than 1,000 square kilometers, which can provide a vast habitat for the wild regeneration of South China tigers.
Implementing the South China tiger wild release experiment is by no means a thing that can "get everything you want", it is the result of many conditions meeting standards and maturity. For example, the establishment of a large area contiguous national nature reserve and the restoration of wildlife populations in the protected areas. Behind it is the establishment and implementation of the concept of ecological civilization and green development in my country, as well as the establishment and implementation of environmental protection and biodiversity protection systems.
Of course, the extinction of the South China tiger is not an easy task. It is a landmark event in the construction of ecological civilization in my country. It means that my country's ecosystem has begun to restore its former functions and vitality. In the past, South China tigers could not survive in the wild. In addition to the issue of our protection of this species, the more important thing is that the ecological environment tends to deteriorate. Not to mention that its habitat has decreased, even if it has mountains and water, it may not be able to find food.
In fact, as Shanxi Province, which once had South China tigers, its current forest resources and ecological diversity, especially South China tigers, the number and species of wild boars, sika deer, roe deer and other animals that prefer to prey are richer than those of Hunan Province's wild nature reserves. For example, the close relatives of the South China tiger, the North China leopard, has a very good living condition in Shanxi Province, while Hunan Province does not have large carnivores such as the North China leopard. This also shows that the species and number of herbivorous animals in the Hunan Province Nature Reserve are not rich.Therefore, it is recommended that Shanxi Province actively strive to release wild South China tigers in relevant nature reserves in Shanxi Province. This will be a major achievement of Shanxi's ecological protection and a good deed that will bring South China tigers back to the land of the Three Jins.
