On the picture are several South China Tigers living at the Shanghai Zoo. The zoo first bred the tigers in the 1960s, and to date about six generations have survived. It also has set up a gene data base for the tiger species, in an effort to reduce inbreeding.
The South China Tiger is found only in China. Currently, there are only 57 of the rare felines in captivity in four breeding bases of Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chongqing and Hangzhou. Another 20 to 30 may exist in the wild.
(China.org.cn September 13, 2002)
