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 In
2001, Minnesota Zoo Conservation Director Dr. Ron Tilson helped
the Chinese State Forestry Administration (SFA) launch its South
China Tiger Protection Program. Objectives are to support the
SFA to train, equip and advise Chinese field survey teams how
to census wild South China tigers distributed over a vast landscape
in the provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang
in south central China. Our ultimate goal is to find and photograph
as many wild tigers as possible, and to combine photos with other
field data on the status of tiger prey, habitat quality, and threats
so the SFA can establish where and how many wild South China tigers
still remain, their probability of surviving, and what needs to
be done to secure their future.
A workshop was held for 35 conservation officers from seven provinces
in Longyan City, Fujian Province. Time was spent emphasizing scientifically
based field methodology, demonstrating how spatial readings (where
exactly you are standing on earth using GPS), can be linked to
topographical map coordinates, how infrared triggered cameras
and monitors can be used to photograph wild tigers, their prey,
other ground dwelling species and even people, and how to use
other field methods for censusing tigers and their prey.
We visited the Meihuashan Nature Reserve where the South China
Tiger Research and Breeding Center is located. This reserve includes
a Tiger Prey Breeding Area, where propagation programs for musk
deer, barking deer, macaques and wild pigs are underway. A day
was spent discussing the merits and techniques for re-introducing
captive tigers to the wild, an option the Chinese will be forced
to take if they are to succeed in re-establishing wild tiger populations
across their former range in China.
After the workshop, the field census team (Jeff Muntifering,
Xiao Huang, Xiao Luo, and Dr. Hu) traveled to Yihuang County Reserve
in Jiangxi Province. A base camp was established in the mountains
and several local forestry staff assigned to the field team, along
with a cook and guide, to help with the fieldwork. Signs of Sambar
deer and wild pigs, favorite tiger meals were found, but so far
no tigers.
In mid-June, Ron Tilson returned to assess the current field
setup, and make arrangements to investigate other sites where
tigers reputedly still persist. The team went to Lo'an in Jiangxi,
Baishanzu in Zhejiang Province, and finally to Taoyang and Hupingshan
in Hunan Province. At each place we evaluated all of the data
suggesting tigers were present-photographs of scrapes on the trail,
scratches on trees, scats and plaster mounts reputedly made by
tigers-- and interviewed villagers who had seen or heard tigers.
We are still evaluating these findings, and intend to continue
working through December. So far we have no definite proof that
tigers still remain in the wild, but we are optimistic that there
are still some left.
We are funded by grants from the US Fish and Wildlife Service's
Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, The Tiger Foundation
in Vancouver, Canada, Save China's Tigers in London, UK and the
Minnesota Zoo.
For more in-depth information about the South China tiger field
effort, visit the zoo-hosted Tiger Information Center website
at www.5tigers.org.
The complete workshop proceedings are there, as well as a narrative
of field activities in Yihuang province, a priority tiger area
in Jiangxi province, and a series of 'Notes from the Field",
an illustrated narrative by Jeff Muntifering of the ongoing field
census.
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