A painting and photography show on Siberian tigers opened in northeast China Wednesday, calling for better protection of the animal, the organizer said.

Hundreds of works about Siberian tigers from all over China presented in "China Siberian Tiger Painting and Photography Show" are on view at the Siberian Tiger Zoo of Changchun, capital of Jilin Province.

The theme of the one-month show is "protect Siberian tigers, love nature."

"People are free to visit the zoo today for the opening, and visitors with zoo tickets can see the show at no extra charge starting from tomorrow," the zoo's spokesman said.

China has only about wild 20 Siberian tigers living in the regions of Changbai mountains in Jilin Province and the Wanda mountains of Heilongjiang Province near China-Russia border.

"With more efforts to protect the habitat in recent years, more traces of Siberian tigers have been found in Hunchun, Wangqing, Dunhua and other areas of Jilin," said Qiao Heng, deputy chief of the Jilin provincial forestry department.

The number of wild Siberian tigers in Jilin is estimated to be 8 to 10, up 12.5 percent from late 1990s, Qiao said.