Rare Siberian tiger released back into wild in NE China

HARBIN - A rare wild Siberian tiger was successfully released back into the wild in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province on Tuesday, according to a Xinhua reporter at the scene.

The male tiger was captured in April after straying into a village, and following an evaluation that showed it had no diseases or abnormal behaviors, experts decided to return it to the wild as soon as possible.

This is the first time that China has rescued a wild Siberian tiger and released it into its natural habitat, said Liu Dan, a wildlife expert and chief engineer of the China Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Center.

Experts decided to release the animal into the Changbai Mountain area, taking into considering the forest coverage, the distance from villages and the availability of prey.

The National Forestry and Grassland Administration has urged efforts to eliminate threats to wild tigers in the province, including conducting patrols and improving awareness among villagers.

Researchers will continue monitoring and studying the tiger's health status and genetic information, as well as its chances of surviving in the wild, the administration said.

The wild tiger strayed into a village in Heilongjiang on April 23, injuring a local resident. It was captured and transferred to the animal breeding center for assessment. It was found to be a male, two to three years old and weighing approximately 225 kg.

Siberian tigers, also known as Amur or Manchurian tigers, mainly inhabit eastern Russia, northeast China, and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. The species are on the national first-class protection list in China.