东北虎英语介绍

SiberianTiger(东北虎)

TheSiberiantiger(alsoknownastheAmur,Korean,Manchurian,orNorthChinatiger)isthelargestandmostpowerfulsubspeciesofnaturallyoccurringfeline.TheSiberiantigerisalmosttotallyconfinedtoaveryrestrictedpartofeasternRussia,theAmur-UssuriregionofPrimoryeandKhabarovsk,alocationitshareswiththeSiberianleopard,wheretheyarenowbeingactivelyprotected.About10%ofSiberiantigerpopulationsresideinChina.

ThetigerpopulationintheSikhote-Alinwas250in1992,increasingto350asof2004,despitesignificantlossesofcubsduetocaraccidentsonthesingleroadthatcrossestheirterritory.Illegalpoachinghasbeenbroughtundercontrolthankstofrequentroadinspections.Itisrumouredthattherearestillaround20ofthesetigersintheMountChangbaiareaofChina.

Asthetotalpopulationofthesetigersfellto150inthewild,manysubpopulationsarepossiblynotgeneticallyviable,subjecttopotentiallycatastrophicinbreeding.However,Russianconservationeffortshaveledtoarevivalofthesubspecies,andthenumberofindividualsinthePrimorskyregionofRussiahasrisenfrom450to500inthepastdecade,indicatingpositivegrowth.

TheSiberiantigercanweighasmuchas700lb(318kg)ormore.Inyearspast,scientistsbelievedthatthesecatscouldweighupto800lb(350kg),butthatearlierrange,whichwasbasedlargelyontheestimatesofhunters,isnotnowgenerallyaccepted.Apartfromthesize,Siberiantigersaredifferentiatedfromothertigersbytheirpalerfuranddarkbrown,ratherthanblack,stripes.Adepthunters,theypreyprimarilyonreddeer,wildboar,roedeer,sikadeer,andgoral,agoatlikeanimal,butwillalsotakesmallerpreylikehares,rabbits,andsalmon.TheyhavesometimesevenbeenknowntokillandeatsmallAsiaticblackbears.Sinceitisestimatedthat85%ofaSiberiantiger'sdietiscomposedofreddeerandwildboar,protectingtheseandotherpreyanimalsfromillegalhuntingmaybejustasimportanttothetiger'ssurvivalaspreventingdirectkillingofthebigcats.

SiberiantigerssometimescrossbreedswithBengaltigers.AwhiteSiberiantigerisusuallytheresultofsuchcrossbreedinganditisunsurewhetherpurewhiteSiberiantigersexist.

ASiberiantigernamedHodoriwaschosentorepresentthe1988SummerOlympicsheldinSeoul,SouthKorea.

Siberiantigersincaptivity

ThecaptivepopulationofSiberiantigerscomprisesseveralhundredspecimens.AmajorityofthesetigersarefoundinEurope,NorthAmericaandJapan,buttherearealsoafewspecimenslivinginAsianzoos.TheSiberiantigerisbredwithintheSpeciesSurvivalPlan(SSB),aprojectbasedon83wildcaughttigers.Accordingtomostexperts,thispopulationislargeenoughtostaystableandgeneticallyhealthy.Today,approximately160SiberiantigersparticipateintheSSP,whichmakesitthemostextensivelybredtigersubspecieswithintheprogram.Therearecurrentlynomorethanaround255tigersinthetigerSSPfromthreedifferentsubspecies.Developedin1982,theSpeciesSurvivalPlanfortheSiberiantigeristhelongestrunningprogramforatigersubspecies.IthasbeenveryfortunateandproductiveandthebreedingprogramfortheSiberiantigerhasactuallybeenusedasagoodexamplewhennewprogramshavebeendesignedtosaveotheranimalspeciesfromextinction.

TheSiberiantigerisnotverydifficulttobreedincaptivity,butthepossibilitytoreleasecaptivebredspecimensintothewildissmall.Conservationaleffortsthatsecurethewildpopulationarethereforestillofimperativeimportance.IfacaptivebredSiberiantigerweretobereleasedintothewild,itwouldlackthenecessaryhuntingskillsandstarvetodeath.CaptivebreedtigerscanalsoapproachhumansandvillagessincetheyhavelearnedtoassociatehumanswithfeedingandlackthenaturalshynessofthewildSiberiantigers.Inaworstcasescenario,thestarvingtigerscouldevenbecomeman-eaters.Sincetigersmustbetaughthowtohuntbytheirmotherswhentheyarestillcubs,aprogramthataimedtoreleasecaptivebredSiberiantigersintothewildwouldfacegreatdifficulties.