About six wild South China Tigers, which are widely believed to be extinct, are roaming around central China's Hunan Province, announced the provincial Forestry Department Tuesday.

According to a survey on wildlife in the province conducted by the department, two tigers are living in Huping Mountain of Beishimen County in western Hunan, one or two in nearby Taoyuan County, and two and one in southern Hunan's Yizhang County and Guidong County, respectively.

"All of them are remaining in the national or provincial nature reserves," according to the survey which lasted five years.

However, the 3,000 experts involved in the survey were disappointed that they had not seen any tigers in person. All they have spotted are traces such as sounds, fur and footprints.

The South China tiger, one of the 10 most endangered species in the world, is unique to China and is under State-level protection. The beasts live mainly in Fujian, Hunan, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces.

Currently, over 50 South China tigers are living in zoos. Experts worry that the beast will become extinct in the coming 50 years because of inbreeding.

(People's Daily 07/18/2001)