China reports its first sighting of wild Siberian tiger quintuplets

CHANGCHUN -- A female Siberian tiger and her five cubs were recently captured on camera in a national park in Northeast China, in the country's first documented case of wild tiger quintuplets.

According to the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park administration on Friday, the tiger family was recorded by infrared cameras in November.

Park ranger Du Jiaxing first observed the tiger family through a real-time monitoring system after receiving an automated alert. Via the system, Du observed a slender female with clear stripes walk past a camera, followed by five energetic cubs.

The ranger promptly issued warnings to nearby villages and reported the finding to relevant authorities.

The same tigers were later recorded by another infrared camera at a different location.

The female tiger, identified as GH005F on the monitoring database, likely gave birth to the cubs in June, said Duan Zhaogang, head of the park administration.

After consulting with global experts, the sighting has been verified as China's first recorded instance of wild Siberian tiger quintuplets, Duan noted.

The park, which covers 19 former nature reserves, began a pilot phase as one of China's first five national parks in August 2017 and was established officially in 2021.

Conservation measures have involved restoring 2,200 hectares of forestland, creating ecological corridors, repairing key wildlife passages, and maintaining continuous anti-poaching patrols. These measures have collectively expanded and improved the habitat for the region's tiger and leopard populations.