The South China Tiger

Introduction

Hiking on one of the 579 mountains, you will soon realize that the forests of Hong Kong are teeming with life; ranging from the smallest of ants to wild boars and deer. Yet, somehow, regardless of this abundance of life, apex predatory mammals are nowhere to be seen on the territory of Hong Kong. As a matter of fact, beside the Burmese python and the snake-eating king cobra, there simply are no terrestrial apex predators in Hong Kong.

But that wasn’t always the case. Until the 20th century, one of the most formidable cats roamed the forests and islands of Hong Kong: The South China tiger. Although not as big as its Bengali cousin, the South China tiger reigned over the forests of the city. Surprisingly elusive considering its size, when it crossed paths with humans, the outcome was often fatal for one or the other.

Today, however, chances of encountering a South China tiger in the forests of Hong Kong, or in the southern provinces of China, is nearly inexistent. After centuries of uneasy cohabitation with humans, the animal that once instilled a healthy fear in the inhabitants of southern China is now on the brink of extinction.

Description

The South China tiger (Panthera tigris subsp. amoyensis) is one of the six continental subspecies of the tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). The name "amoyensis" refers to the city of Amoy, which is the historical English name of Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian Province in southeastern China. 

It was first described as a subspecies of the tiger in 1905, after German zoologist Max Hilzheimer studied five tiger skulls from Hankow, in Hubei Province, and discovered that the skulls differed in shape from those of the Bengal tiger and other tiger subspecies. The fur of the South China tiger also appears more yellowish, with narrower and sharper black stripes, and its face and paws tend to be whiter. It was, therefore, posited that the South China tiger descended from a “stem” tiger which was later found to have radiated from southern China or from the northern part of Southeast Asia.  

The South China tiger is the smallest of all mainland Asian tigers, with only the Sumatran tiger—endemic to the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia—being smaller. Males measure up to 265 centimeters (105 inches) and weigh up to 175 kilograms (385 pounds). Females, on the other hand, measure up to 240 centimeters (95 inches) and weigh up to 115 kilograms (255 pounds).  

Like all other tiger subspecies, the South China tiger is an obligate carnivore. It preys primarily on various deer species and wild boars. Smaller mammals occasionally form part of its diet as well. Birds sometimes fall victim to the South China tiger too, though they constitute a very small part of its diet.  

More troubling, humans have also been killed by the South China tiger. Starting in the 16th century, the number of man-eating tigers rose exponentially as a result of increasing human populations encroaching on its territory, resulting in the death of thousands of people. In Hong Kong, the last confirmed fatal tiger attack occurred in 1915, in Sheung Shui, in the northern New Territories.

Habitat

The South China tiger is historically native to the southern provinces of China, including Guangdong Province and the territory of Hong Kong, hence its name: the South China tiger. Although the South China tiger originally inhabited a 2,000 by 1,500 kilometer (1,200 by 900 miles) territory, stretching over the Chinese provinces of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi, nowadays its range has dramatically shrunk as a result of large-scale anti-pest campaigns in the 1950s and extensive deforestation. 

Combined, these two circumstances led to a sharp decline in tiger populations, as the South China tiger thrived in wet forests with lush vegetation. The pattern of its fur was perfectly suited for the tiger’s hunting strategy in dense forests, as it heavily relied on stalking strategies. Its camouflage kept it hidden in the undergrowth before launching a surprise attack on its prey. However, deforestation also led to a reduction in the tiger’s prey populations. Since the South China tiger’s feeding habit was based on a “feed or famine” strategy, this reduced prey density eventually had dire consequences for tigers that didn't find food.

In Hong Kong, numerous witness accounts of the presence of the South China tiger have been recorded throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, until the early 1960s. Sightings ranged from the northern edge of the New Territories, on the border with mainland China, to the southernmost tip of Hong Kong Island, and as far west as the area of Tai O, on the westernmost tip of Lantau Island.

Conservation

Anti-pest campaigns launched in the 1950s have had a dramatic impact on the wild populations of South China tigers. From an estimated 4,000 individuals at the onset of the campaigns, the population dwindled to 150–200 individuals in 1982. By 1987, the estimated wild population of South China tigers had further shrunk to 30–40 individuals.  

Critically endangered, no wild tigers have been directly sighted in recent years, although signs of their presence, such as tracks and carcasses of large prey animals, have been found in the provinces of Hubei, Jiangxi, and Shaanxi. However, the chances that the South China Tiger has gone extinct in the wild are high.

As for Hong Kong, the last confirmed sighting—and killing—of a tiger in the territory dates back to the Second World War when a 200-pound male tiger was killed by Japanese gendarmes outside the Stanley Internment Camp. The last corroborated sighting of a South China tiger in Hong Kong, however, dates back to 1965, when a high school girl claimed she had spotted a tiger in Shing Mun, in the New Territories. Although a tiger was reported in Hong Kong as recently as 2018, it was later revealed that the observed individual was a misidentified leopard cat. 

Nowadays, conservation efforts have been undertaken to prevent the South China tiger from going extinct. Currently, between 150 and 200 individuals live in Chinese zoos and breeding centers, where efforts are made to increase the genetic diversity of the remaining population, as all the individuals in the program descend from only six tigers caught in the 1950s.  

Meanwhile, reintroduction projects have been undertaken in regions such as the Meihua Mountain Reserve and in Shaoguan, in Fujian and Guangdong provinces, respectively. Moreover, the Laohu Valley Reserve was founded in South Africa with the purpose of rewilding captive-bred South China tigers. 

Paradoxically, Hong Kong’s Ocean Park, which oversees the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong and actively participates in the conservation of animals such as the giant panda, the red panda, and the Siamese crocodile (which are not native to the local ecosystem), among others, does not take part in conservation efforts to save the South China tiger, an animal that was native to Hong Kong, from extinction.

Notable Sightings in Hong Kong

Throughout the 20th century, numerous encounters between the South China tiger and humans occurred—until 1965, when the last reported sighting of a tiger was documented in Hong Kong. Although very few people were killed by South China tigers in Hong Kong, the presence of tigers in areas surrounding the city had an enduring impact on the local populations.

In 1911, a tiger was reported to have crossed Victoria Harbour. Once on Hong Kong Island, it roamed all the way to Stanley, at the southernmost tip of the island. That same year, a tiger was spotted on Lamma Island, only 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) west of Stanley, where it preyed on cattle. Subsequently, a tiger killed twenty cows across Lantau Island, 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) west of Lamma Island. Although no tiger was captured, it is believed that the tigers seen in Stanley, Lamma Island, and Lantau Island were, in fact, the same animal.

The last confirmed death attributed to a South China tiger in Hong Kong occurred in 1915, when a man-eating tiger appeared in Sheung Shui, on the border with mainland China. After it had killed a local villager, police constables were dispatched to the area. Constable Singh was mauled to death on the spot, while Police Officer Goucher was severely wounded. He succumbed to his wounds days later. Following this attack, a large group of locals and police officers set out to kill the tiger. It was subsequently shot, and its head was displayed at the Old City Hall. Since 1988, however, its head has been displayed at the Police Museum on the Peak, where it can still be seen today.

In 1926, police officers encountered local villagers carrying a caged tiger that had been caught in a deer trap and brought to the railway station in Sha Tin, in the New Territories. The tiger was exhibited at Lee Gardens for some time before being transferred to the Yau Ma Tei police station where it was intended to be given a more suitable cage. However, the tiger died shortly afterward from wounds sustained in the deer trap.

In 1937, the blood-stained remains of a woman were found on the north face of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s highest mountain, located between Tai Po and Tsuen Wan in the New Territories. Nearly her entire body was missing, leading villagers to believe she had been devoured by a tiger. However, her death could not be definitively confirmed as a tiger attack.

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, St. Stephen’s College and the grounds of Stanley Prison were converted into an internment camp for non-Chinese prisoners by Japanese forces. In 1942, a tiger appeared in the area, terrorizing both inmates and guards. Although initial accounts were dismissed, Japanese gendarmes eventually killed the tiger outside the camp.

The last credible sighting of a South China tiger in Hong Kong occurred in Shing Mun, on the southern face of Tai Mo Shan, in 1965. A high school girl reported seeing a tiger stalking in the undergrowth. Local villagers further confirmed signs of a tiger, such as footprints, roars, and sightings. Although the police conducted extensive searches of the area, no tiger was found.

These stories are only the most compelling accounts of human encounters with tigers in Hong Kong and represent just a fraction of reports published by local newspapers. In fact, about fifty sightings were recorded in Hong Kong between 1900 and the mid-1960s alone.

Conclusion

If you ever decide to go for a hike in the mountains of Hong Kong, rest assured that your chances of encountering a South China tiger are close to none. Although numerous people have been killed in the southern provinces of China and Hong Kong in the past, the South China tiger no longer poses a threat to humans in the wild. Pest-control programs, deforestation and the subsequent reduction in prey populations, and human encroachment on the forests where it once thrived have driven the South China tiger to extinction in the wild—and to the brink of complete extinction altogether.

Evolving from a “stem” tiger originating from Southeast Asia or southern China, it took the South China tiger millennia to evolve into its own subspecies, distinct from its Siberian, Bengali, Sumatran, and other relatives. This evolution gave it unique physical features while conserving its distinctive traits and hunting skills as a tiger, making it one of the most successful apex predators. Yet, less than fifty years of human antagonism were enough for this most formidable mammal of southern China to nearly join its Javan cousin in the pages of history.

Hopefully, conservation efforts will bring the South China tiger back from the brink of extinction it is currently in. In this regard, it would be nothing short of thrilling if Ocean Park Hong Kong decided to participate in these efforts and bring back to Hong Kong one of its most iconic native residents—more than 60 years after it was last sighted in the territory.