"Huahua", the oldest South China tiger in the country's recorded history, died three months ago in a zoo in Luoyang in central Henan Province, according to a report in the local newspaper Orient Today on Saturday.

Dubbed a "hero mother," the tiger had 24 offspring, accounting for 30 percent of the total number of South China tigers currently kept in the country's zoos.

The tiger, nicknamed "Huahua," was 23 years old, or the equivalent of 90 years old in human age, when she died on August 14, according to local media.

"Huahua has been widely recognized for her contribution to the species," Li Maoping, director of the zoo, said, "Among the total 72 zoo-kept South China tigers in the country, seven are Huahua's grandchildren, 17 are Huahua's great-grandchildren, and one of her great-grandchildren is expected to give birth in 2008."

The South China tiger, also known as the Chinese tiger, has been at the top of the world's endangered species list for many years, Li said.

As the most critically endangered of all tiger subspecies, the wild population of the South China tiger is believed by many scientists to be "functionally extinct."

According to international practice, Huahua's internal organs have been buried and her carcass is being been kept in a refrigerator. The zoo will save her remains as long as possible if there is no further notice from the relevant department, Li said.

Huahua was born in June 1985 in Guangzhou, capital city of southern China's Guangdong province, and was sent to Luoyang when she was three months old. In 1994, she was selected for the South China tiger reproduction project and transported to Suzhou to mate. During her stay in Suzhou, Huahua gave birth to 11 cubs, seven of which survived.

The tiger returned to Luoyang in 2001. Her health began to decline in 2005.

The zoo tried to keep her fit by providing nutritious and digestible food and expanding her tiger house from its original 30 square meters to more than 80 square meters.

Huahua died on August 14 after not eating for three days.

"She was very calm in the last days," a zookeeper recalled, "It has been three months since she dies. We all miss her."

(CRIENGLISH.com December 9, 2007)