Society

Subaru funds tiger-protection awards

By Liang Chao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-06-22 19:11

The China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) is teaming up with Subaru on a campaign to promote protection of Siberian tigers.

The Subaru Ecosystem Protection Tour will organize car owners and media to visit the Huichun Siberian Tiger Nature Reserve bordering Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in northeast China’s Jilin province. Subaru has provided one million yuan ($147,101) for the campaign.

In addition, 75 people will be rewarded for their efforts in protecting China's fragile eco-system and endangered wild species such as the giant panda, crested ibis and Siberian tigers, Zang Chunlin, CWCA’s secretary-general said at a press conference Monday in Beijing.

Groups and individuals chosen for the awards will include police and soldiers fighting against poachers, schools and students, social groups and media involved in the educating the public about wildlife protection.

The Siberian tiger, mainly found in Russia's Far East, China's northeastern provinces and on the Korea Peninsula, is listed as one of the world's top-10 endangered wildlife species, with no more than 400 thought to be left alive in the wild.

The number of wild Siberian tigers left in China is thought to be less than 20. They are mainly distributed in the Less Hingan Mountains in Heilongjiang Province and the Changbai Mountains in Jilin, both in Northeast China.