Wild Siberian tigers and Amur leopards had shown a marked population increase in forests under Changbai Mountain Forest Industry Group management, in Yanbian, Jilin province by the end of last year, with around 27 or 28 wild Siberian tigers and 42 Amur leopards having been spotted, according to Beijing Normal University researchers.

Siberian tigers used to be prevalent in the Changbai Mountain area before the 20th century, but human activity disrupted and damaged their environment seriously. By 1998, the number of wild Siberian tigers in the area had dropped to around four, meaning that they were on the brink of extinction, while other wild animals, such as the leopard, sable and deer were in the same predicament.

In recent years, however, the forestry bureau of Yanbian and the Changbai Mountain Group have been doing their best for wildlife protection and, through forest protection and forest management in the area under their jurisdiction, an area of just over 4-million hectares, they have made more space for wild animals. And, laws and regulations have been passed to halt wildlife hunting and they have worked with universities and institutions to get scientific and technological support for the effort. In addition, there has been international cooperation to learn from and get support from other countries and international organizations.

Then there are the promotions and education activities to make more people aware of the need for wildlife protection, all of which have proven effective so that more precious wildlife such as Siberian tigers can be discovered these days.