China hosts an annual celebration of the Amur tiger. It might come as a surprise to some, but the majestic cats are native to China. The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Siberian tiger, is one of five subspecies of tigers still in existence. Three tiger subspecies have become extinct (Javan, Caspian, and Bali). Currently, no signs of the South-China subspecies are found in the wild, making it highly unlikely that it still exists. Bengali, Indochina, Sumatran, Siberian, and Malayan are the five tiger subspecies documented in their natural habitats.

Living alongside the Great Ussuri Brown Bear, the endangered Amur tiger is the largest (weighing from over three hundred pounds to close to eight hundred pounds) and most powerful of the wild creatures that inhabit northern China, far southeast Russia, and Siberia. Amur tigers form quiet family groups and mark territories, ranging from three to seven kilometers square, that often overlap with other tiger group territories.

The big cat’s thick coat varies from light orange to rusty tawny, with a paler underside. The body stripes range from brown or hay to pure black, while the head is marked with narrow streaks that run from the corners of the eyes over the cheek.

The name Amur comes from an older spelling of a Russian word that means tide or current. This refers to its habitat along rivers flowing through forests and mountains in eastern Russia, China, and Korea. After years of struggling to survive habitat loss, poaching, and overall low population numbers, tiger populations have finally increased enough for these majestic cats to become flagship species for conservation efforts in eastern Russia.

But China is struggling with their efforts to keep the Amur tiger population from dwindling within its borders. Looking back to 2016, it does not appear that these magnificent cats are any closer to long-term survival. The species is listed as critically endangered with a current strength of fewer than four hundred individuals in China’s far north Heilongjiang Province and less than one hundred adults in Jilin Province.

China’s Amur tigers are in grave danger, and the fear of the great cats becoming extinct in the near future still exists.

How Did This Happen?

The main threat that tigers face is poaching and illegal hunting. The poaching of tigers for “medicine” is a lucrative business. Since ancient times, tiger bones, skins, and other body parts have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat health problems like impotence and diabetes. The selling of tiger parts continues, with poachers and traders making millions of dollars each year.

According to Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) experts, China is experiencing an explosion in demand for tiger parts during the pandemic. “We are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of tigers being sold on the black market,” Barney Long, director of species conservation at WCS, said in a statement. “This is a serious problem that requires urgent attention by both governments and NGOs.”

Making things even more difficult, China has a large geographical area that makes conservation enforcement difficult.

The Amur tiger may be on the brink of extinction, but governments, non-profits, and zoos are not standing still.

One source of hope is for continued Chinese government aid to bolster conservation efforts. Thankfully, China is one of the one hundred seventy-seven countries that voted in favor of a resolution at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), for more substantial penalties for illicit tiger trade among member countries and increased support for conservation efforts.

Zoo breeding has always played a significant part in the conservation puzzle. But efforts are increasing to help the tigers living in the wild thrive. In China, the local conservation groups have also joined the fight to help save these precious animals and their habitat. Volunteers diligently protect the tigers from the danger of poachers and farmers wishing to eradicate them from their lands. Working alone when they must, and in collaboration with international conservation organizations when they can, the protectors of the Amur tiger educate people about why tiger poaching is detrimental to their livelihoods. In addition, they instruct on how to keep them out of harm’s way by building enclosures around farmland so that farmers can continue their work without fear of tigers invading their crops. And they educate locals on why they should not kill these animals, despite how frightening and dangerous they seem.

The Chinese government has promised to crack down on poaching with more vigorous law enforcement, campaigns, legislation, and education. China’s goal to save the Amur tiger is one step closer. Heilongjiang Province’s Forestry Bureau now conducts surveys of Siberian tigers in Manchuria. And there are efforts to stop deforestation, an all-too-common practice that destroys tiger habitat and contributes to their decline.

One of the keys lies in reducing demand for tiger parts, particularly in East Asia. A massive global crackdown on illegal wildlife trade is needed. These majestic creatures could be lost forever if we don’t act now.

Amur tigers are one of the rarest and most beautiful animals in the world. The good news is, they’re also some of the toughest. Thanks to conservation efforts, their numbers have risen in recent years. But they remain critically endangered.

There is hope that these efforts will effectively halt the decline of tigers in China before it’s too late.