Prof. Hang Lee from Seoul National University is a renowned researcher of Tigers which were extinct in South Korea. Great Geography and GG club will support his efforts to conserve the Amur tigers.
He made a presentation to show how tigers have been embedded in Korean culture, geography and literature on the World Environment Day event.
The Amur tiger, Panthera tigris altaica also known as the Siberian tiger, is one of the largest cats in the world. The most recent IUCN Red List assessment published in 2022, estimated the population at 265–486 in the Russian Far East with a further small number ranging across the border into China and possibly North Korea.
In the 1940s, it was on the brink of extinction with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild. This was due to decades of almost continual political instability with the Russian Revolution and the formation of the Soviet Union.
In 1947 after WW2, Russia became the first country to ban tiger hunting and offer tigers full protection. Hunting of the main prey species, boar and deer, became restricted by annual quota based on the results of population counts. Poaching of tigers became relatively rare, because there was no market for skins and other tiger products, although hunters on occasion killed their “competitor” when an opportunity presented itself. (source: Amur Tiger Facts - WildCats Conservation Alliance)
Amur tiger sampling sites and distribution (from Prof. Hang Lee's research)
You're so cool! Respect! I'll try to be a cool person, too!
ReplyDeleteIt’s incredible to see how close the Amur tiger came to extinction and how conservation efforts helped bring it back. Russia's early action in 1947 to ban tiger hunting was a huge turning point. The recovery shows how powerful protective laws and habitat management can be. Still, with fewer than 500 individuals, there’s a long way to go. Let’s keep supporting efforts to protect these magnificent big cats
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