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Rare Footage of Cubs Highlights Hope for Wild Tigers in China
In the remote forests of northeast China, a camera trap has recorded something extraordinary: four wild Amur tiger cubs. This rare sighting is more than just heartwarming—it’s a powerful symbol of hope for one of the world’s most endangered big cats. For years the northeast China and WWF-China have been working to protect and restore habitat in this region for tigers and their prey.
Their efforts are beginning to pay off.
Restoring connectivity
Over 30 hectares of forest have been restored in this landscape, reconnecting more than 1,000km2 of prime tiger habitat, and further research has been undertaken to continue wildlife corridor restoration. Improving the connectivity of this landscape will help these young cubs establish their own territory when they’re ready to start out on their own.
A new approach to coexistence
In Hunchun, a pilot Conflict to Coexistence project is helping local communities coexist alongside tigers. While early warning monitoring systems help to alert communities to the presence of tigers near their homes. Establishing effective and community supported coexistence strategies in this landscape is key to securing a future for a growing tiger population and the communities living alongside them.
Protecting tiger populations
Historic poaching was one of the major drivers for the decline of tigers in northeast China, but increased efforts to prevent poaching are making a difference here. The wild tiger population in China has increased from an estimated seven in 2016, to approximately 60 as of 2023.
WWF-China has trained over 1,000 rangers and supports more than 6,000 SMART patrols each year. These patrols help monitor tiger movements, prevent poaching, monitor tiger prey and protect critical habitat. Thanks to these efforts, these four cubs have a better chance of survival and consequently means they could support further breeding of tigers in northeast China.
Educating the future generation
Recognising that young people are our planet’s future conservation champions, WWF-China has supported two rounds of Natural Education Instructor training, a local-led initiative which has produced 50 new conservation educator volunteers. Their job? To encourage the next generation to stand up for wildlife, call for the protection of tigers and inspire others to do the same.
China’s tiger landscapes hold huge potential for tiger recovery and these tiger cubs could be the new generation repopulating remote areas of China that haven’t seen tigers for decades. But to scale up conservation efforts, new financial mechanisms are needed to match the ambition of the large-scale landscape restoration in this region. Sustainable finance, community partnerships and continued conservation efforts by local government and NGOs, such as WWF, are critical to ensure we see more videos of cubs like this one in the future.