Recently, in Hunchun, Jilin Province, there was a very rare Siberian tiger predation of the Siberian leopard, through the Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park Administration and the Jilin Provincial Public Security Department Forest Public Security Bureau Hunchun Branch and other departments of the working group on-site investigation, preliminarily confirmed that the Siberian tiger was responsible, and in the National Forestry and Grassland Administration Siberian Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center database for the first time found the individual information of the predated Siberian leopard, the number 73 male Siberian leopard (details: which Siberian tiger preyed on the No. 73 Siberian leopard?).
In order to further find the information of the Siberian tiger that caused the accident, the working group interpreted, screened and analyzed a large number of monitoring data after obtaining evidence at the scene, and so far, the investigation has made significant progress.
The scene of the crime
The tiger left footprints
Two days after the Siberian tiger predation of the Siberian leopard, the research team rushed to the scene and the forest area around the scene to try to find more information from the clues left by the Siberian tiger.
During the initial on-site inspection, the team measured the footprints of the Siberian tiger left in the snow with a width of 11.5 centimeters, and preliminarily determined that the perpetrator was an adult male Siberian tiger.
Feng Limin, deputy director of the Siberian Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and associate professor of Beijing Normal University: The Amur leopard victim was an adult male leopard weighing about 50 kilograms. The male weighed more than 200 kilograms. If the two of them fought, the leopard had no chance of winning. Judging from the scene, this is a very typical process of ambushing and hunting prey by tigers. The length of the entire drag trail is more than 100 meters.
In fact, in the encounter between the tiger and the leopard, although the leopard does not have the upper hand in the fight, its more slender and flexible body and unique climbing ability are enough to support it to escape quickly, or climb to a higher place to protect itself, and when it smells the tiger's tracks, the leopard will quickly avoid a head-on encounter.
In addition, in areas where tigers and leopards are distributed in the same area, in order to avoid their edge, leopards mostly go out with tigers, and the target prey is also different from tigers, among which tigers are mainly large and medium-sized herbivores, while leopards are mainly small and medium-sized herbivores. Why would the Amur leopard, which is so cautious and has little competition with tigers for food or territory, be slaughtered by tigers without warning?
Feng Limin, deputy director of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and associate professor of Beijing Normal University: The terrain here is relatively open, which is particularly unsuitable for leopards to hide. The tiger and the leopard met here, and the leopard did not have time to find a place to hide, so the tiger was quickly bitten to death.
With the help of a monitoring system
Experts lock on suspected Siberian tigers
Although the team confirmed that the perpetrator of the Amur leopard was an adult male tiger during the initial on-site inspection, it was not so easy to identify the male tiger, which needed to be confirmed with the help of the advanced sky-ground air monitoring system in the Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park.
After carefully inspecting the space-ground air monitoring system, the working group found that there were many Siberian tigers active in this not very large forest area, but which one was the most likely perpetrator?
Feng Limin, deputy director of the Siberian Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and associate professor at Beijing Normal University: The real-time monitoring system of space, earth and air shows that in the past year, about 10 different Siberian tiger individuals have appeared in the area around the scene of the incident.
Of the 10 tigers that have been preliminarily screened, some have already settled here, some are spreading to other areas, and some are just "visiting here". It is difficult to determine who is most suspicious to kill a perennial Amur leopard from the trajectory alone, and the next task is to further narrow down the scope of the investigation, that is, to eliminate the female tiger in the first place.
Excluding 8 female tigers, among the only remaining 2 male tigers, the male tiger numbered 112 had just traveled here 10 days ago, and its activity trajectory was closest to that of the killed Amur leopard in time and space, and was locked as the largest suspected tiger. So, where did this Siberian tiger, numbered No. 112, come from, and under what circumstances did it kill a Siberian leopard?
Feng Limin, deputy director of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and associate professor at Beijing Normal University: This year, it left its birthplace and spread north to this area. It is quite possible to encounter this Siberian leopard during its spread.
Up to now, the suspect tiger has been preliminarily identified, and the next step will be for final confirmation by the expert group after comparing the collection and measurement of DNA samples.
Effectively promote the implementation of protective measures
Prevent human-tiger conflicts
Through the Siberian tiger killing the Siberian leopard, many people think that in this small mountain forest, there are ten Siberian tigers, and they can even hunt and kill fierce beasts like leopards, so how to ensure the safety of nearby residents?
After on-the-spot investigation, the reporter found that the forest farm where the incident occurred is located in the core area of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, and there is only one road for a small number of staff to commute. At the time of the incident, they were in a group and passed by the site in a vehicle, avoiding the risk of being attacked by tigers to the greatest extent. In addition, the site serves as the core area of Haw Par activities, and it is still some distance away from residential areas.
Liu Junyu, Captain of the Forest Case Investigation Brigade of the Hunchun Forest Public Security Bureau: This location is still a certain distance from the people's living area, and about 20 kilometers away from the residential area.
It is precisely because of the recovery of the Siberian tiger population and the increase in numbers that such a rare natural phenomenon as tigers preying on leopards has emerged. An important warning to the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park is that it is urgent to further strengthen the isolation between humans and predators and the prevention of human-animal conflicts in and around the distribution area of tigers and leopards.
Monitoring shows that in the vicinity of the incident site, only about 200 square kilometers of national parks, due to lush forests and abundant prey, 10 Siberian tigers and many Siberian leopards have been attracted.
Feng Limin, Deputy Director of the Siberian Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and Associate Professor of Beijing Normal University: The next step is to further improve the quality of habitat in the Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park, so that the food chain and the entire ecosystem can be further restored. In this way, the population will settle in the wider area of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park and reproduce its offspring, thus further expanding the entire Chinese tiger and leopard population.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Zhao Hanlu Text Editor: Song Hui Title Image Source: Xinhua News Agency Photo Editor: Yong Kai
Source: Author: CCTV