Siberian Tigers once lived in sustainable numbers throughout northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula, northeastern Mongolia and southeastern Russia. Nowadays, the species is critically endangered having died out entirely from South Korea, and present in only very small numbers in all other territories. Captive breeding & conservation programs have sprung up in a variety of places and in 1996 China opened the largest natural park for wild Siberian tigers in the world at Harbin along the north bank of the Songhua River.
The Park' s Siberian Tiger population exceeds 500: around the same number as there are in the wild in the whole of Siberia. The park also breeds white tigers, lions, lynx, leopards, black pumas and Bengali tigers. The huge park is divided into ten areas, which separates the animals according to age and breed to minimize conflict amongst the creatures. Most areas have viewing platforms, or are accessible by a caged bus.
Gruesome attractions at the park include the ability for visitors to buy ducks, chickens, and even cows which are set free among the tigers to enable visitors to watch a hunt in action. Squeamish visitors may wish to skip this part of the tour and head straight to the Popular Science Exhibition Hall or the Craftwork Store to stock up on souvenirs.
Tips:
If watching a tiger hunt is your ideal pastime, you will want to come to the park in Summer or Winter, when a wild training field is open to visitors.
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