The most meaningful cat video you’ll watch this week: First footage of wild tigers in China

Today we are excited to share with you the best cat video of the week (in our books).

This 10 second video clip shows a protective Amur (Siberian) tigress and her playful cubs in China. While the historic range of Amur tigers once spread throughout northern China, the Russian Far East and the Korean peninsula, they were hunted to the brink of extinction by the 1940’s.
Today, thanks to conservation work and government intervention, the species is rebounding, with about 400 individuals (from a low of 40 in 1940) with the majority living in Russia.
Until today, there had only been subtle paw print evidence that Amur tigers were expanding their range back into China. But this WWF video of the family clearly shows decades of conservation work has resulted in wild tigers spreading out, settling down and reclaiming their old territory.

Amur (Siberian) tiger resting in a water puddle in the forest near Khor river. Amur region. Far East. ©Hartmut Jungius/WWF
Amur (Siberian) tiger resting in a water puddle in the forest near Khor river. Amur region. Far East. ©Hartmut Jungius/WWF

With as few as 3,200 wild tigers left, WWF is working with all tiger countries to achieve the ‘Tx2’ goal of doubling the wild tiger population by 2022, the next Chinese Year of the Tiger. Stories like this show us that hard work is paying off, but of course there is always much more to do!
See the press release here.
Find out more about tigers here.
Read about WWF-Canada’s support of Nepal’s tiger recovery program – and their amazing successes with cutting poaching.
Want to see more rare cats? Check out these amazing photos of snow leopards we caught on camera in Nepal!