? Huping Mountain in Hunan plans to release South China tigers into the mountains. Aren’t we afraid that the tigers will eat people? Is this right or wrong?
We all know that wild South China tigers are an extinct species in our country. However, there are now more than 200 South China tigers in captivity, and over the years, in order to restore the population of wild South China tigers, our country has also It is planned to conduct rewilding training for some of the South China tigers and release them back into the wild in the future to restore the wild South China tiger population.
Speaking of which, it is not a new thing to release artificially raised animals into the wild. Take my country’s “national treasure” giant panda as an example. Over the years, there have been many artificially bred giant pandas. Soon they were being bred into the wild and then released back into the wild.
For example, at the Panda Wild Training Center in Dujiangyan, my country this year, the giant pandas "Little Walnut" and "Qin Xin" that were released in 2018 after undergoing field training were repeatedly photographed in wild activities. They look very healthy.
However, after the news of Hupingshan's plan to release South China tigers into the mountains spread on the Internet, it aroused heated discussions among netizens. Many people believed that the release of giant pandas from wild cultivation and the release of South China tigers from wild cultivation were the worst. There is no comparison between times, because in people's minds, giant pandas are not dangerous, but South China tigers are very dangerous. This also makes many people worry about what they should do if tigers are "released back into the mountains" again and they hurt people.
my country's Hunan plans to release South China tigers into the wild. Is this plan reliable?
In fact, the extinction of wild South China tigers in my country is mainly related to human hunting activities. Since the end of the last century, there have been no traces of them in the wild in my country. After 2000, the State Forestry Administration and other relevant departments have also I went to the habitat of wild South China tigers for the first time to look for their distribution in the wild, but I have never found them. Therefore, since more than 10 years ago, it has been internationally recognized that wild South China tigers have become extinct.
In order to save the South China tiger, our country has carried out an artificial captive breeding program since 1995, and since 2000, our country has begun to conduct wild training for the South China tiger. For example, the once sensational "Save the Chinese Tiger" program, when the National Forestry The bureau also cooperated with relevant foundations to send many South China tiger cubs to Africa for wild training. However, many years have passed and this project has long been discontinued. The current status of the South China tigers sent to Africa is also unknown. It can be said that , this plan has failed.
This incident has also "taught a lesson" to the State Forestry Administration and other relevant departments. Considering that it is too risky to send the few South China tigers to wild breeding abroad, our country has established a special South China tiger wild breeding camp in recent years. Base, and when the time is right, release them on the spot.
After a series of inspections, Hupingshan in Hunan, my country was successfully selected to establish the South China tiger "rewilding and reintroduction base". It is planned to open the Zhangjiajie Badagong Mountain Nature Reserve and Wufenghou in the future, which are connected to the Hupingshan Nature Reserve. In Hehe Nature Reserve, covering a total area of more than 1,000 square kilometers, South China tigers that have been successfully rewilded will be released back into the wild.
Of course, it will take at least several years from professional wild training of South China tigers to official successful release into the wild. South China tigers have actually lost their wild nature after being raised in captivity by humans for many years, so experts It is necessary to select the wild, aggressive and strong cubs for professional wild training and domestication.
However, as soon as this news came out, local villagers were still very worried. Many people even questioned it: they thought it was all "nonsense" and were afraid that people might be hurt after letting the tiger return to the mountain.
So, if South China tigers are successfully reintroduced and released into the wild, will they hurt people?
Relevant experts have given an explanation for this. Although South China tigers are large beasts, under normal circumstances, they are unlikely to hurt people, because they live far away from people, unless they appear. Only when there is a shortage of food will they risk going down the mountain and sneaking into villages to steal food. For example, in the northeastern region of my country, due to the improvement of the ecological environment in recent years, the number of wild Siberian tigers and Siberian leopards has increased, and subsequently, there are Siberian tigers and Siberian leopards come down the mountain to forage. Poultry and livestock in local villagers' homes are often stolen.
However, there has been no harm to anyone. Even "Wandashan No. 1", which was released last year, has been operating in inaccessible places for more than a year with sufficient food. Never been close to human territory.
It can be seen from here that under normal circumstances, as long as the habitat where wild South China tigers are released has sufficient food and a livable ecological environment, they are unlikely to go down the mountain. Specially released South China tigers often wear tracking and surveillance equipment. If they break into human life, experts will know immediately and take corresponding protective measures. Therefore, surrounding villagers are also safe.
Therefore, on the whole, the plan to release South China tigers is advisable. They will play a role in maintaining the balance of nature. Villagers living around Huping Mountain and other protected areas in Hunan do not need to worry too much. Experts are officially Before releasing the South China tiger, all potential safety hazards that may occur in the future have been taken into consideration. Protecting people's safety is always the first priority, so there is no need to worry too much.
