National park marks Global Tiger Day with rising population

Celebrating the14th Global Tiger Day on July 29, the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park – in collaboration with Northeast China's Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces – launched a series of themed events to raise public awareness and to further tiger conservation efforts.

According to park data, eight breeding families and over 20 cubs were recorded as living there last year, spanning a distribution area of over 11,000 square kilometers.

The abundance of tiger prey has more than doubled, demonstrating the park's success in creating favorable conditions for the survival and reproduction of wild tigers.

Established as a pilot project in 2017 in the southern part of Laoyeling at the border of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, the park has carried out ecological protection and field patrols and also established, management stations and monitoring systems.

These efforts are said to have resulted in significant growth in the populations of wild Siberian tigers and leopards. In fact, the Northeast leopard population has increased from 42 to 80 over the past six years.

Both the Siberian tiger and the Northeast leopard are classified as endangered and critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The park, covering 14,100 sq km, is the largest habitat for tigers in China and the only one with stable breeding families. It also engages in cross-border protection cooperation with Russia's Land of the Leopard National Park.

Additionally, the park has seen recovery in populations of other wild animals and plant species – including brown bears, sika deer, roe deer, ginseng, matsutake mushrooms and Chinese yew.