(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-10-29 10:05

As many as 70 Siberian tigers from the Breeding Center for Felines in Hengdaohezi, Heilongjiang, must earn their keep outside the center by putting on shows for tourists.

"They earn as much as 2 million yuan ($267,000) a year, which is enough to raise the living standards of the other tigers at the center," Wang Ligang, the center's manager, said. "Without this income, our center would almost be unable to afford food for the other tigers."

The number of tigers bred at the center has increased from only eight in 1986 to some 800.

"It takes about 10 million yuan to feed them every year," he said.

(www.xinhuanet.com)