[Explanation] The tiger suddenly appeared in front of the car and circled around the car. After a while, it returned to the woods and disappeared.

Such a scene seems to be similar to the usual self-driving tour to the zoo, but in fact, this tiger is not the same as the tiger in the zoo. It is a wild South China tiger.

  【on site】

  [Explanation] As soon as the goat appeared in the field of vision, the South China Tiger immediately pounced on it at a very fast speed, bit the goat's neck accurately, and then quickly brought it back to a secret and safe area.

This series of actions, in the eyes of animal experts, is hugely different from the tigers in the zoo.

  【On-site】Animal caretaker

  If there is this goat, it will not eat for three days, and its stomach will not be very hungry. If it is a bigger sheep, it can even go without food for a week.

  [Concurrent] Yang Handong, Deputy General Manager of Animal and Plant Management Department of Chimelong Group

  For wild tigers, the longer it lasts, the less timid it will be. Whenever there is trouble, it will run into the bushes, and captive tigers will be more friendly to people.

  [Explanation] The above pictures are all from the Changlong South China Tiger Breeding Base in Qingyuan, Guangdong. Since its establishment in 2016, the staff has built a 12-kilometer wire fence in this mountain.

In a zoo, animals stay in cages, here, people stay in cages.

Greater space and freedom should be provided to animals returning to the wild.

  Therefore, our shooting is like breaking into the territory of the South China Tiger. Everyone must stay in the car and shoot through the window. While looking for the South China Tiger, a black and white Bengal tiger is also quietly walking away. Pass.

At present, a total of two South China tigers that have been successfully rewilded live in this area, and in other areas, four South China tigers are learning to hunt autonomously.

Whether they can judge when they encounter prey in the wild, and whether they can bite the vital parts of the prey, are the skills that these sturdy "rookies" have to learn, and it is a crucial step in "releasing tigers to the mountains".

  [Concurrent] Yang Handong, Deputy General Manager of Animal and Plant Management Department of Chimelong Group

  If it can't hunt live food in the wild, we will let it watch tigers that can hunt live food to catch it, or lead them to do this series of training. Our short-term goal is that tigers can harvest themselves in the wild. If it is to be successful, it may take a very long period of time, which may be the long-term goal we are talking about. In the end, its offspring, the second and third generations, can return to the wild and be released into the wild. , which is our purpose.

  [Explanation] The South China tiger is a tiger unique to China and the first of the top ten endangered species in the world.

Since South China tigers are too precious, starting in 2019, the base used Bengal tigers to try wild training first. In a few years, these Bengal tigers will not only hunt independently, but also successfully reproduce in the wild.

  [Commentary] Yang Handong said frankly that the road to rewilding rare animals is still very long, and the two South China tigers have taken an important step, but the real freedom of these South China tigers will not be realized until they have several generations.

  Reporter Wang Qingran reported from Qingyuan

Responsible editor: [Fang Jialiang]