In order to survive and adapt to the jungle environment, tigers have evolved the color of fur stripes, and the stripes on their bodies are the best hidden colors in the forest. In order to kill prey, in addition to its amazing jumping ability, it also has a thick meat pad on its feet, thus preventing the tiger from making noise when walking in the jungle, which also allows it to accurately step on the footprints of its front foot when walking in the snow. The spherical muscles of the cat's jaw evolved very well, which gave the tiger a very strong bite force.
And because there are not many large herbivores like grasslands in the forest, tigers are not used to living in groups like lions. Adult tiger camps live alone and carefully defend their spheres of influence in their own forests. They only get together in pairs during estrus, then separate after mating and return to their own areas.
Among them, South China Tiger is a unique tiger species in China, with round head, short ears, strong limbs, long tail, milky white chest and abdomen, orange and black stripes. There are short and narrow stripes on the fur, the stripe spacing is larger than that of Bengal tiger and Northeast tiger, and diamond stripes often appear on the side, which is smaller in subspecies tiger.
However, there is no trace of wild South China tiger in China. In order to make the South China Tiger reappear in the wild, China began field training. In September, 2003, according to the joint action plan of China, Britain and South Africa to save the South China Tiger, Li Quan, chairman of Save the South China Tiger International Foundation, took the South China Tiger cubs away? Guotai? 、? Hope? Go to China Tiger Field Training Center in Tiger Valley Reserve, South African Free Province to start field training.
This decision caused widespread controversy at that time. Many zoologists believe that there are no tigers in South Africa, but tigers are solitary animals and forest species. In the grassland environment of Africa, China tigers may not find the food they need. On the other hand, can these tigers adapt to the original environment once they return to China?
But in the end, the plan was passed. Later, two tigers were sent to Tiger Valley in South Africa. Tiger Woods? And then what? Madonna? Tiger Valley was not originally called Tiger Valley, but it was called Tiger Valley after China South China Tiger landed. This piece of land, about 30,000 hectares, located on the grassland of Free State Province in central South Africa, is called Tiger Valley.
At first, the zoo grew up? Guotai? And then what? Hope? I'm afraid to see antelope. In addition, tigers hunt by hiding their bodies from trees, and the environment of African grasslands is not suitable for tigers to hunt.
They need to master hunting skills again. 1 year later, two tigers trained in the field have now mastered hiding, lurking, grasping the opportunity and sneak attack? Tactics? . July 2004? Guotai? And then what? Hope? I caught a wild antelope for the first time. What about four months later? Tiger Woods? And then what? Madonna? 14 antelopes were successfully captured. Thirty wild white-faced antelopes were released a year ago, and now there are only four left. There is no tiger on the list of natural enemies of wild antelope population, so it is very puzzling to meet tigers!
After two years of wild training, South China Tiger? Hope? I suddenly don't eat, and my stool is not smooth the next day. On the third day, he found blood in his excrement and died after being rescued.
Autopsy shows. Hope? The main cause of death is endotoxemia caused by colitis, which leads to heart failure. Two laboratories in South Africa have come to a conclusion? Hope? The main cause of death is autoimmune dysfunction.
But? Hope? His death didn't stop the implementation of the plan. In 2007, the fifth tiger, 327, entered Tiger Valley. Also on 23 October, 2007, cubs of Tiger Woods and Cathay Pacific were born. The first second-generation tiger, Hulooo, was born in Tiger Valley, South Africa.
Madonna and her children
Up to now, there are 22 tigers living in Tiger Valley 1 * *, but at present, there are only 15- 19 tigers (because the news of official website is no longer updated, the specific data is not clear), many of them died from infighting and some died at the hands of local people.
As we know, tigers are very territorial animals. In the grassland environment of Tiger Valley, tigers are not easy to divide their territory, so they often kill each other, especially the second generation of tigers born in the wild. They are more wild and aggressive under the care of their mothers.
Just like corbett killed Shine, Tiger Boy and Shyboy &; Oksana. Four tigers attack Tibo, Wusuli &; Indira was euthanized because she was too aggressive. However, it actually violates the laws of nature. Corbett, which has great strength, wildness and adaptability, needs its genes most.
In addition, Andover and Magritte who walked out of Tiger Valley were also shot by local people.
But tiger valley tiger is also slowly evolving. For creatures in nature, survival and adaptation to the environment can make the population continue. In the environment of Tiger Valley, tigers also began to evolve into lions, learned to cooperate, and killed their prey with the fastest efficiency.
We can predict what will happen to the tiger population in the African savannah after 100 years of reproduction.
Tigers in Tiger Valley should have returned to the motherland in 2008, but today, they are still stranded in South Africa. In 20 13, Li Quan left the project to save China Tiger for the first time, and at the end of this year, she went to court to divorce her husband Borui. In the past ten years, Save China Tiger International Fund has raised funds through various possible channels, but the use of the fund has never been clearly announced to the outside world.
On August 29th, 20 13, the news that the third generation of South China tiger cubs were born in South Africa was posted on the website of the Foundation, and it has not been updated since then. However, South China Tiger lives better in South Africa than in China. South China tigers have no living environment in China, and the state has not given effective instructions on the placement of these tigers at present.
Biologist Xie Yan helplessly think:
In fact, the bottleneck of China South China Tiger's wild release is not wild, but the lack of habitat. If the money from Africa is used to build the fence of China Nature Reserve, the wild can actually be released in one step.
It is not difficult for these tigers to return to China, but it is still very difficult to achieve the purpose of releasing them in the wild. ?