A new nature reserve was built in Jilin Province, northeast China, not long ago after six years' preparations in a bid to boost China's consistent efforts to protect endangered species of Manchurian tiger and Far East leopard.

The Hunchun Nature Reserve borders on China and Russia, and covers an area of 88,913 square km. It is China's second provincial nature reserve, following a similar one in Huangnihe of the province, which was established last year.

Wild animal experts estimated there are three to five Manchurian tigers and two to four Far East leopards living in the Hunchun Nature Reserve.

Wu Zhigang, a wild animal expert from the Jilin Provincial Academy of Forestry, said that the newly launched nature reserve will lay a solid foundation for future cross-border protection of the species now at the verge of extinction.

Wild Manchurian tigers, among the first-class protected species in China, are mainly found in Russia's Far East region, northeast China and the Korean Peninsular. The number of the animal species worldwide is estimated at less than 500, most of them in Russia and 12 to 16 in China.

A survey by Chinese, American and Russian experts, organized by the United Nations Development Program in 1997 to 1999, found the dense forest in Jilin is the haunt of seven to nine Manchurian tigers.

Experts said that establishing nature reserves is the best way to protect the big cats.

A recent agreement between China and Russia is expected to lead to the establishment of a nature reserve along the lower reaches of the Wusuli River on the China-Russia border to protect the species.

Tigers originated in east and central Asia some one million years ago. To date three out of the eight tiger subspecies have become extinct. China now has four tiger subspecies.

( November 12, 2001)