China intensifies protection for Siberian tigers

Members of the largest cat species get up close and personal at the Siberian Tiger Park in Heilongjiang, Mar 12, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

HARBIN -- China is ramping up protection efforts for Siberian tigers increasingly roaming the China-Russia border.

Police authorities in Heilongjiang Province have launched a campaign to collect traps placed in border forests by poachers, Lan Xu, a border policeman, told Xinhua on Friday.

"These (traps) may not be set for Siberian tigers, but they certainly threaten the existence of them," Lan said.

Traces of the endangered tigers, also known as Amur tigers, have been reported in northeast China. A Siberian tiger allegedly roamed into China in October after being released by Russian President Vladimir Putin into the wild.

Lan's colleague Wang Jianqiang said they are also raising local awareness on how to protect rare wildlife by handing out brochures and explaining consequences of poaching.

One of the world's rarest animals, Siberian tigers mainly live in east Russia, northeast China and northern parts of the Korean Peninsula. Fewer than 500 Siberian tigers are believed to be left in the wild.

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