Administration for big cats national park inaugurated

ChangChUn: The administration for the much-anticipated tiger and leopard national park was officially inaugurated in Changchun, capital of northeast China’s Jilin Province.

Launch of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park Administration is a big step forward in protection of the endangered animals, said Zhang Jianlong, head of the State Forestry Administration.

The state-owned natural resour- ces and assets management bureau of the national park was also launched on Saturday.

“The establishment of the two organisations means increased protection efforts of Siberian tigers, Amur leopards and other types of natural resources,” Zhang said.

The Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park will cover more than 1.46 million hectares. About 71% of the area is in Jilin and the rest in the adjacent Heilongjiang Province.

A contest was also started on Saturday to design a logo for the park.

According to Chen Xiaocai, an official with the park administration, the logo should combine images of the Siberian tiger and Amur leopard with Chinese elements.

Zhao Li, head of the administration, said that the national park aims to create a stable habitat for Siberian tigers and Amur leopards.

Siberian tigers are one of the world’s most endangered species. Wild Siberian tigers predominantly live in northeast China and Russia’s far east. The population is below 500.

The Amur leopard was put under top national protection in 1983 with only about 50 living in the wild along the Sino-Russian border. — China Daily/Asia News Network