China's Siberian tigers come in from the cold

A worker picks edible fungi at a nature reserve in Wangqing. [Photo by Zhang Zefeng/China Daily]

Jia, who had previously spotted a tiger's footprints in the area, suspected that a big cat was responsible.

"The owner paid about 20,000 yuan ($3,000) for the cow last year," said the 66-year-old herdsman from Lishugou village in Hunchun. "If my assumption is correct, he will be entitled to compensation."

Judging by the bites and scratches on the carcass, Wu Wenming, an official with the Hunchun forestry bureau, concluded that a Siberian tiger had killed the cow.

"The bite on the cow's neck was fatal," he said. "The provincial government will reimburse the losses caused by the incident."

In 2007, Jilin formulated compensation guidelines to cover damage caused by wild animals. In recent years, the number of attacks has risen.

According to Zhang Jinyan, an official at the bureau, cases of wild animals, such as tigers, bears and boars, attacking livestock or destroying crops have risen from 228 in 2007 to 707 last year.

This year, tigers have already killed between 60 and 70 animals.

"The reimbursement plan guarantees the interests of local people whose properties are damaged by wild animals," Wu said. "To a degree, it mitigates conflicts between endangered species and the people who share the land with them."

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Since 2013, when China signaled the construction of a national park system, the central government has taken a number of measures, including banning commercial logging in key State-owned forests in the northeastern provinces.