Issue+Background+sesp2

= = =South China Tiger/Amoy Tiger=

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History
Of the eight subspecies of tiger, three are now extinct. The Bali tiger was wiped out from the effects of deforestation and poaching in the 1940s, the Caspian in the 1970s and the Javan tiger in the 1980s. The remaining five are the Bengal, Siberian, Sumatran, Indochinese and the South China tiger. Of these the South China tiger, (//pantheris tigris amoyensis//) or Amoy tiger is thought to be the antecedent/ancestor of all tigers, is the closest to extinction yet unbelievably receives the least amount of attention and funding.

Range and Habitat
China is a very unique among tiger range countries, because four of the surving tiger subspecies live there at once. The Siberian tiger in the far northeast bordering Russia and North Korea; the South China tiger in the central parts of China; and the Indochinese and Bengal tigers in the far south bordering Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and India. The tiger is a favorite subject of Chinese artists, depicted as fierce and powerful.

Diet
The South China tiger goes hunting most of the time between dusk and dawn, and they use the same method of killing like lions. They stalk, chase,a nd finally attack the prey, and bring it down, using a single bite to the nape of the neck or throat. This method of killing allows the tiger to suffocate the prey bringing death relatively quickly and painlessly. Smaller animals are often killed with the bite to the nape of the neck allowing the tiger to to fracture the vertebrae and compress the spinal chord of its victim. Once killed, the tiger either drags or carries its meal into cover. The tiger’s enormous strength allows it to drag an animal that would require 13 adult men to move. Tigers consume anywhere from 35 - 90 pounds of meat at one sitting, beginning at the rump of the prey. If undisturbed, they will return to the carcass for 3-6 days, feeding until it has completely consumed its kill. Because tigers are not the most successful of hunters, only killing 1 in every 10-20 attempts, it may be several days before it has its next meal. In the wild, cooperative hunting among tigers has also been observed where couples and families hunted like a pride of lions. This, however, is the exception not the rule. Unlike the other felids, man is a regular part of the tiger’s diet and has earned them greatest reputation as man-eaters. The most common prey items are various species of deer and pig, but they will also take crocodiles, young elephants and rhinos, monkeys, birds, fish, leopards, bears, and even their own kind. They have also been reported to eat carrion.

More South China Tiger facts click [|here].

Issue Background Info
The current issue we want to focus on is the endangered species at China. We minimized all the endangered species at China into one specific species, the South China Tiger. The South China Tiger is the most Critically Endangered (IUCN) of all of the living tiger species. This is a result of an inadequate amount of habitat and a small amount of prey left. Chinese specialists believe that there are only 20 tigers left in the wild. Therefore, we will try our best to get enough money to establish a campaign to stop the decreasing population of the tigers.

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