The South China Tiger on the Brink of Extinction

Suchomel J.

Originally, up to five Tiger (Panthera tigris) subspecies occurred in China, of which the South China Tiger (P. t. amoyensis) is the only endemic. This carnivore inhabited subtropical and evergreen broad-leaved temperate forests in some provinces in central, south and south-east China. However, human pressure on its population was so heavy in the second half of the 20th century that in 1982 there were just 150-200 remaining individuals in the wild. Since the 1990s the South China Tiger´s occurrence in the wild has not been confirmed, so the subspecies may have become extinct there. About 70 remaining individuals in Chinese zoos face serious problems due to inbreeding depression and possible gene introgression via hybridization with the Indochinese Tiger (P.t. corbetti).

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