South China
Tigers to "Study" in South Africa
The China State Forestry Administration has
recently signed an agreement in Beijing with the UK-based SCT
(Save China's Tigers) foundation and South Africa's Chinese
Tiger Project Center. According to the agreement, South China
tigers in domestic zoos will be sent to camps in South Africa
that will train them to survive in the wild.
The South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
is indigenous to China, and ranks top in the world ten most
endangered animals. There are no more than 30 in the wild, and
just 60 in zoos -- fewer than the giant panda. Years of inbreeding
have caused species degeneration.
