Indian doctor amazed by breeding method of tiger base

                                                                                          Nishant Vijay Radke

Nishant Vijay Radke, an eye doctor from India, was deeply impressed by the way Shaoguan’s South China Tiger Breeding and Research Base breeds tigers and prepares them for potential future release back into the wild.

Radke, an employee for six years at the C-MER (Shenzhen) Dennis Lam Eye Hospital, joined the trip to Shaoguan that was organized by Shenzhen Daily and the Ping An Group during the past weekend.

Radke said he joined the trip not only because this year is the Year of the Tiger, but also because the tiger is the national animal of India. “India has the largest number of wild tigers in the world right now, close to 3,000. If a tiger dies in India, it’s given a national guard of honor. It’s wrapped in the national flag and is cremated,” said Radke.

A tiger lover, Radke has visited tiger safaris in India and Africa and prior to the trip to Shaoguan, he already knew that the South China Tiger is a slightly smaller tiger species compared to the Royal Bengal and Siberian tigers.

“But if I see it, I cannot tell the difference because they look reasonably big,” he said.

“The tiger breeding center is really amazing, fascinating. I was talking with the officials. The wonderful thing that they are doing here is they are trying to not just protect and increase the number of the South China Tigers; they are also training them to be released in the wild at some point of the future. And that’s fascinating. They are giving them trial hunts with hoofed animals like the boar and bear, which are the natural prey for tigers in the wild. So they are training them to be independent once they go out.”

The other thing Radke thought highly of the base’s breeding method is that at times they don’t feed the tiger. “This is something so natural in the wild. Don’t think that this is a cruel act. No, this is a very scientific method,” he said. “If you keep feeding the tiger every day, the tiger starts loosing its ability to stay sharp and hunt. Survival depends on food. If an animal doesn’t get food in the wild, it’s going to get more and more desperate. The more desperate a tiger gets, the sharper its hunt get.”

Radke joined the online adoption activity during the trip, which allowed him to name the tigers he’s fond of. He named the twin tiger cubs “Victory” and “Line” to express his best wishes.

“Together they make the name ‘Victory line,’ as the victory line in a race you cross to win! I wish the South China Tigers to cross the victory line and never feel or stay threatened in their wild habitat.” He also donated money for the growth of the twin cubs.