The extreme concern and care Jilin
Province authorities displayed in rescuing an endangered
Siberian tiger that escaped from an animal park in Antu of the
northeastern?province showed the renewed commitment Chinese
authorities have toward upholding our environment and toward
preserving natural wonders, including endangered animals.
While early on in the three-day drama, the tiger was shot by a
possibly trigger-happy police officer, the animal suffered only a
minor wound to a fore-leg, an injury thought not to be
life-threatening. Local police officials, apparently encouraged by
superiors, quickly clamped down and made certain that no more
gunplay would be used to resolve the situation after the animal
escaped last Saturday at the Changbai Mountain Siberian Tiger
Park.
A stand-off ensued, but extreme patience paid off mightily.
While the old Chinese saying that "a buttock of a tiger cannot be
touched" proved true once again, this tiger nonetheless was
outsmarted. General Sun Tsu would have been proud of the police
strategists.
Authorities first thought of cutting a hole in the park's fence,
through which the tiger could re-enter the park. They employed an
ox to lure the tiger back, tactically placing it along the only
pathway as bait to attract the hungry animal. It worked, serving as
just the right antidote to resolve the situation.
"It was obvious he was too hungry to stand any longer. He
pounced on ox we left as bait and ate it completely. This is just
the ending we wanted," said Li Yongli, a senior local forestry
police official who, along with other officers, had very little
sleep during the ordeal.
That 3 am meal came 60 hours after the tiger had leapt over his
wire-mesh enclosure after being irritated with the shouting made by
a farmer from a tree outside the wire fence, according to media
reports. The farmer had ignored the warning signs in the park to
get close to the fence to pick pine nuts.
The tiger did what tigers do instinctively. He attacked. The man
was severely injured but remains in stable condition in a local
hospital.
The police participating in the tiger posse are no worse for
wear.
"We sustained no losses other than suffering from the chilly
weather and terrible flocks of mosquitoes," Liu told reporters.
That bit of discomfort for Liu and some 60 other officers is
well worth it. An endangered Siberian tiger -- of which about 400
remain in the wild -- is back for all to see. Nature's precious
gift to the world is preserved.
And, all of China can be proud of this reasonable and humane
accomplishment.
(China Daily September 29, 2003)