China patrols national park to enhance tiger, leopard protection

Authorities in northeast China have started to patrol a national park as China enhances protection of endangered tigers and leopards.

The management bureau of Northeast Tiger Leopard National Park launched the campaign Tuesday in Hunchun of Jilin Province. The campaign will see local authorities patrol the park's mountains, and clear traps set by poachers. Patrolling stations will be established to stop potential poaching activity.

"We will strengthen our efforts to crack down on poaching," said Zhang Shanning, deputy head of the bureau.

The park covers more than 1.46 million hectares in the provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang, and borders Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Thanks to government efforts, the population of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards has been on the rise.

Siberian tigers, otherwise known as Amur or Manchurian tigers, mainly live in eastern Russia, northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Meanwhile, Amur leopards, also known as the Far Eastern leopard, are one of the most endangered felines in the world, and have been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. China currently has 27 wild Siberian tigers and 42 Amur leopards.