With the Return of Wildlife to Jilin, President Xi Interested in Siberian Tigers

Mar 10, 2015 09:53 AM EDT

(Photo : Dave Pape/Wikipedia) Siberian tiger populations on the decline even after a decade of conservation efforts, according to a 2005 survey

Thanks to the ecological efforts of local authorities in China's Jiling province, a resurgence of wild animals has returned to the region.

This development has piqued the interest of Chinese President Xi Jinping, specifically on what Siberian tigers eat.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Part of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, was recently part of the 12^th National People's Congress (NPC).

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In the panel discussion, Xi urged officials of the province not to think of marginalizing agriculture at the moment. Instead, he urged them to think of ways around the difficulties they face in their sectors and maintain a strong output.

He also asked officials to boost business innovation in their areas, introduce more of a market economy, and kick out manufacturers who were using outdated technologies.

In doing so, the northeast's "rust belt" of decayed industries and factories in Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang could be revived.

Xi was recently in discussions with a delegate from the Northeastern province of Jilin. The delegate let slip some praise about their local area's countryside.

The delegate pointed out that wild animals have returned to their area and are currently thriving due in large part to the ecological efforts of local authorities.

Upon hearing that, Xi was interested in knowing more about Siberian tigers.

Specifically, he asked a string of questions about how many Siberian tigers there are, what they eat, if their population can expand, and if wild boars live in the Changbai Mountain.

Xi was told that as many as 57 Siberian tigers were present in the province, while 3,500 white cranes were also living in the area.

The delegate said that the phenomenon of wildlife returning was a pleasing thing and urged officials to follow the laws of nature.

The discussion on what Siberian tigers eat became a discussion online when Kuzya, a Siberian tiger released by Russian President Vladimir Putin, crossed a border river into China.

TagsSiberian tigers, NPC