South China Tigers
- Thread starter RatioTile
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According to Baidu Encyclopedia, there is a South China tiger studbook managed by CAZG, and the first South China tiger raised in Baidu Encyclopedia and Taiwan Wikipedia, describes it as Meng Zi, a tigress that captured from Sichuan Province in 1955. I think this suggests that the records of south china tigers are preserved to some extent.
Taiwan's Wikipedia quotes an article from 2010, said all existing South China tigers as hybrids. But most of the data is written in Chinese, so it is difficult to ascertain whether the description is still valid.
Taiwan's Wikipedia quotes an article from 2010, said all existing South China tigers as hybrids. But most of the data is written in Chinese, so it is difficult to ascertain whether the description is still valid.
Chengdu, Chongqing and Fuzhou also have them.
According to this study (Sorting Out the Genetic Background of the Last Surviving South China Tigers), there are 14 zoos in China that have South China Tigers or are at least partially the South China subspecies.
Those 14 zoos are: Changsha, Chongqing, Chengdu, Fujian Meihuashan Institute of South China Tiger Breeding, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Jiujiang, Xiamen Zhongshan Park, Luoyang Wangcheng Garden, Nanchang, Safari Park Guiyang, Safari Park Shenzhen, Shanghai and Suzhou.
Those 14 zoos are: Changsha, Chongqing, Chengdu, Fujian Meihuashan Institute of South China Tiger Breeding, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Jiujiang, Xiamen Zhongshan Park, Luoyang Wangcheng Garden, Nanchang, Safari Park Guiyang, Safari Park Shenzhen, Shanghai and Suzhou.
Not Beijing?
The South China tiger is the second species to have a coordinate breeding program in Chinese zoos, just second to giant panda. Now the coordinator is Shanghai Zoo. Now there are about 200 individuals in 16 zoos, Beijing Zoo doesn't have this subspecies. The zoos holding the most South China tigers inlcude Shanghai, Luoyang and Nanchang Zoo.
Do you know if these tigers are pure animals?
There are genetic evidences showing that the tigers in SE China are indeed Indo-Chinese tigers, while the tigers in SW mountians of China (Sichuan, Guizhou, Chongqing, NW Yunnan) are distinct lineage. Since the South China tigers in SE and SW China are exchanged regularly for breeding program, it is hard to say whether there are "pure-bred" South China tigers. But at least the unique DNA loci of the SW mountain lineage will be preserved inside these tigers via the breeding program.
Carlos Solorzano
New Member
Thank you for sharing! How are you so knowledgeable about this subject?
Because I used to take part in South China tiger project
Ceylonpanther
Well-Known Member
How many South China tigers are now in China, where are the most pure South China tigers and which zoos have the most tigers? Share all your knowledge and updates about South china tigers here.
I am not sure any of the South China tigers in P.R. China zoos are actually fully pure-breds.
I am unable to provide an update and hope some of our P.R. China forumsters can respond in more detail to your question.
About the "purity" of the animals, here's another paper published last year. Based on this paper, I'll consider the current captive population "pure" as the hybrid between amoyensis and corbetti had already widely occurred historically in Southeast China.
Ancient DNA reveals genetic admixture in China during tiger evolution | Nature Ecology & Evolution
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Thanks Ding Lingwei, ... always nice to have your expert updates!
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@baboon, Do you have a current list as the the CAZG national breeding program and the numbers in all the zoos participating in the program?Because I used to take part in South China tiger project
These 14 zoos participating at least in the CAZG program?
You quoted a number of 200 South China tiger (amoyensisxcorbetti) in 2023. Any chance of you knowing the population numbers as to sex (M / F / U) per zoo?
Raikou
Well-Known Member
As of 2021, there are 184 South China tigers in Chinese zoos.There are three main zoos that raise a large number of South China tigers.48 tigers in Luoyang Wangcheng Park, and by 2022, there will be 67 tigers in the zoo.37 tigers in Nanchang Zoo.25 tigers in the Shanghai Zoo, but by last year it might have been close to or more than 30 tigers.
I don't have the update information of this studbook. Principally all the zoos holding South China tiger should participate in the CAZG program, while Shanghai Zoo, Luoyang Zoo and Nanchang Zoo are the stronghold.