Siberian tiger footprints found in Jilin  

珲春现野生东北虎母子行踪 专家称罕见

吉林珲春地区发现野生东北虎的事仍在继续。5月18日，当地一家企业工作人员再次发现两行虎踪，当地专家20日初步判定这是一对东北虎母子的足迹。专家称，同时发现东北虎母子足迹，十分罕见。

Hunchun, Jilin (ECNS) -- Two rows of tiger footprints found last Saturday in Northeast China's Jilin province were confirmed by experts Monday as belonging to a Siberian tigress and its cub.

At 6:10 a.m. Saturday, a staff member from a ginseng-planting company in Hunchun, a small city in Jilin, found two rows of footprints in the earth where ginseng was planted, one row larger than the other.

The footprints were clear, as it had rained recently, the staffer said.

Lang Jianmin of Hunchun National Reserve of Siberian tigers identified them as belonging to a female Siberian tiger and its cub, which are rarely seen.

The footprints indicated that Siberian tigers bred successfully in the area, which is good news for the species, Lang said.

As for roaming Siberian tigers killing livestock in villages since April, Lang said, there is no need panic, but he also advised villagers take precautions.

Siberian tigers mainly inhabit northeastern China, Russia's Far East region, and the Korean Peninsula. Currently, the number of wild Siberian tigers in the world is estimated at 500.

China established its first national reserve for Siberian tigers in 2001 in Hunchun, which borders Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.