Weird project: Chinese tigers for South Africa

[Guest guest]

The zoo director quoted in the article leads the zoo that looks likely to

get the " Taiping Four " gorillas. Sending captive-born Chinese tigers to

SOUTH AFRICA to teach them to become predators, for later release in China

where the species is near-extinct due to habitat destruction and

over-population as referred to in the last paragraph see crazy to me!

 

Chinese Tigers Arrive in South Africa

 

By SHARON GOLAN, Associated Press

 

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - Two South China tigers, the first ever to

leave the country, arrived Tuesday in South Africa as part of a project to

save the endangered species.

 

Cathay, a 7-month-old female, and Hope, a 6-month-old male, were flown here

from China for a five-year training course at the National Zoological

Gardens of South Africa on how to survive in the wild. The animals are not

indigenous to South Africa.

 

``South Africa is renowned for its skills in conservation which was the

reason for our approach to and partnership with local conservation

expertise in order to assist us with this project,'' said Li Quan, founder

of the Save China's Tigers Foundation.

 

The cubs, along with any offspring, are expected to be ready for life in

the wild by 2008 when they will be returned to China.

 

The task of teaching the tigers to hunt would not be too complicated, said

Willie Labuschagne, director of the National Zoological Gardens of South

Africa.

 

``We do not need to teach them to kill, that is an inherited capacity of

carnivores. ... What we have to do is to train them to eat what they have

killed and develop their ability to stalk prey,'' said Labuschagne.

 

The cubs will be quarantined at the National Zoological Gardens for about

two months before being moved to a reserve in Makopani, about 125 miles

north of the capital, Pretoria, where they will be trained.

 

Chinese Ambassador Guijin Liu said tigers were among the most endangered

species in the world because of overdevelopment of land and an increase in

the population.

 

 

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman

International Primate Protection League

PO Box 766

Summerville, SC 29484, USA

Phone - 843-871-2280, Fax- 843-871-7988

E-mail - smcgreal, Web: www.ippl.org

 

" He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt.

He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord

would suffice. "

--Albert Einstein