South China Tiger spotted in wild

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It’s not often we see good news about endangered species being spotted, but it does happen - as recently demonstrated by sightings of what appears to be the South China Tiger:

Rare China tiger seen in the wild

A rare South China tiger has been seen in the wild for the first time in decades, according to reports from China’s official Xinhua news agency.

The sighting, which came after a farmer handed in some pictures, surprised researchers who feared the tiger was extinct.

Experts have now confirmed that the photographs do show a young, wild South China tiger.

The tiger is critically endangered and was last sighted in the wild in 1964.

The farmer, who took the pictures at the beginning of this month, lives in Shaanxi province.

Experts have said that no more than 20 to 30 of the tigers were believed to remain in the wild, but none have been spotted in decades, with many fearing that a small number of captive-born tigers were all that remained.