Foreword
In a vast and lush valley in South Africa, a group of special species live. This is a wild tiger community created by the mixture of man-made and wild animals.
There are hidden cameras all over the valley. Tourists who come to visit can accurately find the tigers that are eating or resting under the guidance of the breeders.
The keepers will tell tourists which tiger is called and which territory belongs to it.
This special group of tigers all come from China, thousands of miles away.
They have strong bodies, bright stripes, and when their round tiger eyes look at you, you can even see the wildness in their eyes.
They are South China tigers that belong exclusively to China, and are also known as Chinese tigers in the world. Like the panda, they are both creatures that represent China. They are rare in number and of special breed. They are one of China’s national treasures.
Even in zoos in China, it is rare to see such a large group of tigers.
Then how come they appear here in South Africa? What is the reason why our country wants to send its national treasures abroad? When will these South China tigers return to the country?< /p>
The South China Tiger Leaving Home
The so-called Tiger Roaring Mountain Forest, the tiger is the master of the mountain, and in the hearts of everyone, it is also the most powerful creature second only to the dragon.
The South China tiger, as a tiger subspecies unique to China, has an extremely wide distribution range in China. When its population was at its most prosperous, it could easily be found in the mountains and forests of southern China.
In fact, in ancient Chinese poetry, calligraphy and painting, there are many depictions of tigers, all of which are South China tigers.
In "Water Margin" written by Shi Naian, the tiger Wu Song killed in Jingyanggang was the South China tiger active in the mountains and forests. The tiger that Black Tornado Li Kui faced off against was also a South China tiger.
It can be seen that the number of South China tigers was so large that in the eyes of the Chinese people at that time, there must be tigers in the deep mountains and old forests.
The South China tiger was indeed once found in almost every forest land in China and was the largest in number.
However, with the changes in history, people’s hunting of tigers, a species that is full of treasures, and the destruction of their living woodlands have also increased year by year, and the population of South China tigers has declined sharply.
The number of South China tigers has become increasingly rare year by year, and is even on the verge of extinction.
It was not until the 1960s and 1970s, when the country's development gradually stabilized, that people discovered that there seemed to be very few traces of wild South China tigers.
1959 was the last time Chinese experts saw and captured wild South China tigers.
At that time, experts captured an adult female South China tiger from the mountains of Bijie, Guizhou, and mated it with a male South China tiger captured in Qingzhen, Guizhou a year ago to promote the continuation of his race.
Between 2000 and 2001, the State Forestry Administration conducted a large-scale survey of wild South China tigers and their habitats across the country, but did not find a single wild tiger.
After this investigation, some foreign scholars believe that wild South China tigers have become extinct.
The South China tiger has also been certified by the country as one of the top ten endangered animals in China and a national first-level protected animal. It is on the critically endangered list of the Red Species List and is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. One of the top ten species.
Today, the possibility of wild South China tigers existing is extremely slim, and many experts believe that South China tigers are extinct in the wild.
So, why are such rare species sent abroad? This is actually for the continuation of the race.
Due to historical reasons, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, China’s animal breeding and breeding technology was not particularly advanced, and the research and understanding of many animals was still in its infancy.
In protecting and cultivating South China tigers, domestic professional animal protection agencies have encountered two major problems.
The first point is that the survival rate of South China tiger cubs is difficult to guarantee.
my country’s conscious efforts to help the South China tiger population continue began in 1955. That year, experts searched the mountains and captured a female South China tiger in the wild in Sichuan.
This South China tiger was named Mengzi. As the first wild South China tiger to be captured, its pedigree number is 1.
However, it is a pity that Mengzi did not participate in the breeding of South China tigers.
Although it was still in an age suitable for breeding when it was captured, the country has not been able to find another male wild South China tiger to pair with it since then.
So, it was not until Mengzi was kept in captivity and passed the optimal reproductive age that the country captured a wild male South China tiger in Qingzhen, Guizhou in 1958.
Finally, there was a breakthrough in the breeding problem, but then experts discovered that it was difficult for South China tigers to survive in captivity.
Of the 266 larvae recorded, 117 died within 30 days of birth, with a mortality rate as high as 44%.
Even as adults, various problems in feeding will eventually lead to a decrease in their survival rate. Among adult individuals, the mortality rate is 4%-5% at the age of 4-12 years, and the mortality rate increases after the age of 13 years.
The second point is that the raised South China tigers have lost their majesty and dominance.
Because it is very difficult to raise and breed South China tigers, domestic staff always try to take as comprehensive care as possible when treating South China tigers.
But this raises another question. Are a group of tigers that have been carefully cared for and raised still tigers?
They will never take the initiative to attack humans, or even actively attack humans. Attack wild animals such as deer, hares, and hares that are used as food.
Even some South China tigers are easily frightened. A fat and strong tiger will hide behind the keeper whenever there is any disturbance.
This is more like a sheep in tiger skin than a tiger.
It is impossible for such a South China tiger to leave the zoo or return to the wild.
You must know that the ultimate goal of artificial breeding and breeding of these endangered species is to hope that they can return to nature, thereby making up for the lack of position in the ecological chain and allowing people to live in more harmony with nature.
At a time when the country was having headaches due to the wildization of South China tigers, a Chinese female master's degree who had studied abroad for many years appeared in the eyes of the China Animal Protection Association with her carefully prepared solutions. inside.
Domestic experts have never heard of relevant information about this female master named Quan Li before. Because this female master's degree is not a professional in the field of animal research and protection at all.
After graduating from Peking University many years ago, Quan Li came to study at the famous Wharton School of Business in the United States. After receiving a master's degree in business administration, she devoted herself to the Italian fashion industry and married in the United States. Gave it to the wealthy Borui.
The circle in which she most often appears and is active is the middle- and upper-class business circles in the United States.
But this is a Chinese girl who seems to have nothing to do with animal protection. In fact, she has always paid attention to domestic animal protection news.
Especially during a trip to Africa in 1998, she witnessed with her own eyes how domesticated wild leopards could not adapt to the hunting life in the wild.
After the tragic case of death from starvation, she turned her attention to events related to the wildization of animals.
So when Quan Li came to the China Animal Protection Association to apply for the qualification to wildly domesticate South China tigers, she was fully prepared.
Quan Li herself has been back in China since 1999.
She personally visited various zoos in China where South China tigers were domesticated at that time, and also went to the mountain forests in central and southern China where South China tigers lived to conduct field investigations, gaining a deep understanding of the domestication status of South China tigers in China and the dilemma of their wildization.
In October 2000, Quan Li established the International Federation to Save China’s Tigers in London, England.
She extensively solicited opinions from relevant professionals from various places, formulated a detailed wild plan for South China tigers, and began to search for areas suitable as experimental bases around the world.
Quan Li’s first choice is naturally the hometown of South China tigers.
So she went to the China Animal Protection Association, in addition to applying for the qualification to wild-domesticate the South China tiger. She also hoped to find an area suitable for the survival of the South China tiger with the help of the Chinese government. Used as an experimental base.
Quan Li's idea is very beautiful, but the reality has caused her plans to suffer setbacks.
Although the original living environment of South China tigers is mountain forests, as an experimental base for wild domestication, mountain forests are obviously not the best choice.
After all, the mountains are high, the forests are dense, the humidity is high, and there are many wild animals, so it is not suitable for humans and equipment to exist for a long time.
After two years of searching, Quan Li finally compromised and chose to build a base in South Africa.
She used her husband Bo Rui’s funds and self-raised donations from all walks of life.
Acquired 17 ranches in South Africa for US$4 million, totaling 350 square kilometers of land, named it Tiger Valley, and invited professionals from all over the world as staff .
This was also the largest wild South China tiger training base at the time.
Because of Quan Li’s sincerity and sufficient preparation, our country immediately generously transported 2 tigers, and in the following five years, it successively loaned 5 tigers one by one for wild domestication. experiment.
However, many domestic experts still maintain a wait-and-see attitude towards this project. There are two main reasons:
One is because of the environmental problems of the training base; the second reason is This is because the domestication of animals in the wild is a long and tedious process.
Facts have proved that experts’ suspicions are not entirely unfounded.
After the first and most difficult ten years, the domestication project has achieved certain results, and operational problems have indeed arisen in Laohu Valley.
No time limit for return to China
In November 2002, Quan Li signed the "Cooperation Agreement on China's Tiger Reintroduction Program" with the State Forestry Administration.
This also means that although many voices in the country expressed doubts about Quan Li’s project, the country still chose to believe Quan Li.
Our country has promised to provide sufficient first-generation South China tigers for Quan Li to conduct wild domestication experiments, but Quan Li needs to wildize the second-generation tigers and return them to the country at a later stage.
In September 2003, the little South China tigers Cathay and Hope, who were under one year old, were safely sent to Laohu Valley in South Africa after a 29-hour long flight.
This vast and fertile area was once owned by many local farmers, and the barbed wire fences and wooden stakes set up to protect the sheep can still be seen on the land.
The reason why Quan Li chose this area is because the ecological environment in this area is relatively good.
The water and grass here are abundant, including wild herbivores such as warthogs and antelopes, as well as predators such as jackals, which can serve as natural competitors for tigers.
What runs through the entire reserve is a local river called the Orange River. All kinds of wild animals living in the reserve come here to drink water. It is also one of the best places to watch tigers.
In the beginning, the process of wild domestication was pretty good, especially Hope, which has a high degree of acceptance of wildization.
With just over a year of wild domestication, Hope can hunt antelopes in the wild and learn to hide food.
In 2004, in order to speed up tiger breeding, China sent a pair of male tiger Tiger Woods and female tiger Madonna, who were born in Shanghai Zoo, to South Africa again.
Just as Quan Li was looking forward to the good development of Laohu Valley in the future, the most lively little tiger Xiang died in a foreign land soon because of the acclimatization.
As for Cathay, another healthy female tiger, her wild situation is not very optimistic either.
Cathay Pacific is very timid. If the staff put a live guinea fowl in front of it, it would be so scared that it would hide.
Even after repeated guidance, Cathay was able to successfully kill the guinea fowl, but it did not know how to eat the chickens that had not lost their feathers.
In 2005, in order to make up for the departure of Hope, male tiger 327, who was born in Suzhou Zoo, also came here.
As this batch of tigers gradually matures, whether the pairing and reproduction of South China tigers can be completed in a natural state has become the focus of attention in Laohu Valley and all people who care about Laohu Valley.
In the absence of human intervention in the wild, Quan Li and the staff could only use prey to try to keep the male tiger and the female tiger in contact. After repeated attempts, the female tiger Cathay and the male tiger Tiger Woods came into being. Feelings.
On November 23, 2007, Laohu Valley welcomed the first batch of second-generation tigers that were paired and born in a natural state. Cathay gave birth to a male tiger named Hulu.
This is the first time that a South China tiger has been born abroad. It not only saves the Chinese tiger project, but also gives a glimmer of hope to the fate of the South China tiger.
For the South China tiger population, Cathay is a heroic mother.
In the following years, tigresses Cathay and Madonna gave birth to many tiger cubs in Laohu Valley.
The wild domestication of these cubs is much easier than the first generation of parents who have been artificially cultivated.
Although it is a completely wild environment, some tiger cubs have been injured and died by carnivores and other tigers, but the overall survival rate is much higher than that of artificial breeding.
Just when everyone thought with joy that the wild domestication of South China tigers had reached a new level, a big problem arose in the operation of Laohu Valley.
Although it is a very gratifying thing to see tigers continue to multiply and gradually develop in the direction of wildness, since the operation of Laohu Valley in 2002, it has been in a state of only The state of investing money but not making any money.
Because this project itself is a semi-charitable project, profit was not the main purpose at the beginning. The reason why it was established was also because of Quan Li’s passion for animal protection and her husband Borui’s love for his wife. like.
But it is obvious that Borui underestimated the cost of this project.
In the early days of the establishment of Laohu Valley, the couple invested a large amount of money to acquire land. It is said that due to the influence of local forces in South Africa, they paid a large amount of money in compensation, and the actual cost was far more than 4 million. US dollars.
In the later period, they have been investing a lot of money in the operation and maintenance of Laohu Valley.
In order to allow the South China tiger from China to better adapt to the geographical environment of South Africa, Quan Li spent a lot of money to transplant a large number of unique plants from China to enrich the vegetation of the South Africa Valley.
In addition to some local animals in the South Africa Valley, Quan Li also specially introduced wild boars, robes and other animals that South China tigers are accustomed to eating from China. These are a huge expense.
As the financial pressure continues to increase, Quan Li’s husband, banker Bo Rui, is a little overwhelmed.
In order to relieve financial pressure, her husband Borui began to invite some friends to Laohu Valley for sightseeing, trying to develop the tourism value of Laohu Valley and thereby reduce financial pressure.
But such behavior undoubtedly goes against Quan Lizun’s charitable wishes. She does not want humans to disturb the tigers in Laohu Valley.
As a result, the couple started quarreling frequently because of this matter in 2005. The operation of Laohu Valley has also been greatly affected by the conflict between the two responsible persons.
Hu Lu and other second-generation tigers, who originally planned to return to China around 2014, have had their return date postponed indefinitely because of this incident.
In 2013, the dispute between the two finally reached a critical point. The two sides refused to give in to each other and went to court.
The outside media has paid a lot of attention to this matter, and all major media in the UK are rushing to report on the divorce case of the two. At that time, the couple accused each other of embezzling funds from the foundation to maintain a luxurious life.
In the end, the divorce lawsuit ended with Quan Li's failure. Quan Li had no choice but to publicly announce the news and completely withdraw from the federation she founded.
Her ex-husband, Borui, announced that he will continue to stay in the International Federation to Save China's Tigers and contribute his own strength to the protection of South China tigers.
Later, the International Federation to Save China's Tigers closed down offices in various countries due to financial problems, including the Beijing office. As a result, China lost its first-hand source of information about Laohu Valley. .
Although Quan Li left the International Federation to Save China's Tigers, which she founded, she is still active on the international stage, promoting China's South China tigers to countries around the world, and doing her part to protect South China tigers. Meager strength.
When she was interviewed by the media, she was once asked: What are you doing for so much effort?
In this regard, Quan Li’s answer was very calm:
As far as my personal ability is concerned, it may be difficult to reverse the trend of Chinese tigers becoming extinct, but the fact that Chinese tigers are not extinct yet shows that there is still hope.
Even if it is extinct, at least during the rescue period, I did what I could! I have no regrets!
On the other hand, Borui has always refused to disclose the financial details of Laohu Valley. He has a vague attitude towards allowing the second-generation Tigers to return to China in accordance with the contract.
Today, the five South China tigers that were first sent to South Africa have continued to multiply and now have as many as 30 tigers, and their wildization is on the right track.
However, their return date has become far away.
Although there are many domestic animal protection volunteers who are paying close attention to the progress of this matter, with the epidemic raging in South Africa, the return date of these South China tigers will obviously be indefinite. The period was postponed.
Epilogue
Animal protection has been an eternal proposition in human society from ancient times to the present.
From a utilitarian point of view, if there are no wild animals, then humans themselves cannot survive. Therefore, protecting the ecological chain of wild animals is actually protecting the development of human beings themselves.
To put it mildly, protecting wild animals is protecting the uniqueness of life on the earth. Each endangered biological group displays a beauty that cannot be copied and is unique to them.
The patterns on the South China tiger are short and narrow stripes. The spacing between the stripes is larger than that of the Bengal tiger and the Siberian tiger. Diamond patterns often appear on the sides of the body, which is closer to the direct ancestor of the tiger. Chinese ancient cat.
Although there are many other species of tigers in the world, the beauty of the South China tiger is unique, and the patterns on its body cannot be copied.
If this population becomes extinct, our country will no longer be able to see the graceful South China tiger. At that time, people can only remember it through photos and videos. This is a rare species unique to China.
The tiger’s status in Chinese culture has long been ingrained. Once it disappears, it will be a great loss to Chinese culture.
Saving China’s tigers is actually saving our culture. This is the social responsibility of the Chinese people.
Protecting animals is everyone’s responsibility and should not just become an empty slogan.
For ordinary people, it is our responsibility not to harm wild animals, not to eat wild animals, and even to report others for harming wild animals.
If we have extra energy and money, maybe we can also invest a lot of money and energy to protect wild animals like Quan Li.
But at the same time, we must also maintain our personal lives. Being fully committed is not a bad thing, but people around you who don't have this dedication should not be affected, otherwise fierce conflicts will break out.
Just like Quan Li and her husband, they eventually parted ways because of protecting the South China tiger, which was a good thing that benefited the country and the people.
Finally, I hope that the five South China tigers in a foreign country can return to China as soon as possible and take a look at the scenery of their hometown.