Chapter 37 - The Struggle to Save the Last South China Tigers

Abstract

The South China tiger holds a place of honor in China—as a cultural icon in art, literature, and philosophy, as a symbol of wilderness to promote a new conservation ethic amid an expanding human population, and as a source of national pride as the only uniquely Chinese tiger subspecies. Early in its history, the captive South China tiger population flourished. By 1990, the pedigree represented several generations in captivity, gene diversity begin to decline, and inbreeding levels averaged over 20%. Tiger experts became increasingly alarmed about the critical status of this subspecies both in the wild and captivity. In the face of a plummeting wild population, the need for effective captive management drew national and international attention. The greatest challenges to the viability of the captive population are low reproductive success and low level of genetic variation. Population growth is paramount to slow genetic loss and stabilize the population. The South China tiger has yet to cross over the threshold of viability in captivity. A healthy, self-sustaining captive population is critical to the preservation of what remains of this subspecific genetic line; this milestone must be achieved before this population has the ability to provide tigers to repopulate the mountains and forests of south-central China.