(CN) Siberian tigers move south to make some money

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Siberian tigers move south to make some money

By Wu Yong

China Daily

2007-09-28

 

Fifteen Siberian tigers are traveling a long way from

Harbin in Northeast China to Xiamen in the south - to

help their families and relatives live a better life

back home.

 

The Harbin-based Siberian Tiger Park signed a

five-year contract with Xiamen Huzhilin Company

earlier this year for an undisclosed amount; and the

tigers will be on view in the coastal city from

October 1, the first day of the week-long National Day

holidays.

 

To take care of the tigers, two zookeepers from Harbin

will be with them throughout the five years, said Bian

Shifeng, a park employee.

 

It is not the first time the Harbin park has leased

out tigers to ease its financial strain - more than

100 tigers can be found in Dalian, Shenyang and

Taiyuan zoos, and generate about 1 million yuan

($133,000) each year, a source close to the park said.

 

The park, founded in 1996, is one of the major

Siberian tiger breeding bases in the country. In the

past decade, their number has jumped from eight to

more than 800.

 

While preservation of the precious species is ensured,

the increasing number of big cats has led to another

conundrum: How to feed them.

 

Wang Ligang, the park's general manger, said the

financial deficit is rising despite local government

support.

 

A tiger eats 5 kg of meat every day and its annual

expense covering food and medical care is about 30,000

yuan ($3,993).

 

Which means the park has to fork out more than 20

million yuan ($2.67 million) each year, according to

Liu Dan, chief engineer of the park.

 

Wang said the park has three sources of income: ticket

sales, leasing out the tigers and government funding.

" But it is far from enough. "

 

The price of pork and other meat rose more than 80

percent in the first eight months of this year, driven

mostly by increases in animal feed prices, according

to the National Bureau of Statistics.

 

Sources familiar with the conditions in the park said

tigers are now fed chicken instead of beef to cut

costs.

 

Cao Liang, director of the China Wildlife Conservation

Association, said tiger leasing is justified as long

as approval is secured from the local governments.

" The best protection for many tigers (in Harbin) is to

provide enough food for them, " Cao said.

 

" The only solution is to lift the ban on tiger trade.

The trade of bones from tigers that are bred in

captivity and die of natural causes will not affect

the conservation of wild tigers. This can help raise

funds for living tigers and also give relief to

patients, " Wang said.

 

In Chinese medicine, tiger parts are used as cures for

illnesses ranging from colds to rheumatism.

 

In China, about 50 tigers live in the wilderness and

around 5,000 in captivity. Some 1,000 are born each

year in farms and about the same number have died of

natural causes in recent years.

 

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/28/content_6141247.htm