The last time a South China tiger was seen in the wild was over 30 years ago. Worldwide, there are only 131 of the highly endangered species, all living in captivity, according to Chinese zoologists.
Wang Jinjun, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens, said on Wednesday that not a single South China tiger has been spotted in the wild in more than 30 years. A species is declared extinct if no members are found in the wild in 50 years.
Wang said the tiger, which is indigenous to China, is facing a grim outlook for survival. The association's latest investigation found that 111 of the tigers are kept in 15 zoos in China, and another 20 are in a South African nature reserve. The tigers in South Africa are the offspring of five tigers sent from Chinese zoos since 2003.
The zoo in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, is home to the highest number of South China tigers, with 8 male tigers and 16 female tigers.
Kuang Huaming with the zoo said that the tigers are all descendants of six tigers. The zoo has set up a team of scientists to select the best mating pairs in order to avoid defects from inbreeding.
He said without "wild genes," the population of captive tigers will be depleted. Currently, none of the captive tigers can hunt on their own.
The big cat has disappeared from the wild since the 1970s due to human activity, environmental destruction and illegal hunting. Forestry authorities have occasionally received reports of tiger skin or bones, but these have not confirmed the presence of wild South China tigers.
A private charity, Save China's Tigers, has tried to introduce five captive South China tigers from zoos to a nature reserve in South Africa to train them for the wild, but similar training has not been done in China.
