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Chinese Children Help Siberian Tigers
Twelve children in northeast China' s Heilongjiang Province and a work unit have adopted Siberian tigers in the city zoo.
The children pay only 500 yuan a year, and are free to visit their companion any time, said the zoo operator.
Liu Mengyi bought several packets of milk powder for her new companion with her pocket money and she gave the little creature a new name "Liu Meng'er".
Siberian tigers are among the top-ten most endangered species in the world, with only around 300 remaining in the wild. China set up the Harbin Siberian Tiger Zoo in 1985, the largest reproduction center in the world to save the tigers from extinction.
In 1985 there were only eight Siberian tigers. There are now 130.
According to the zoo keeper, every tiger consumes around 10 kg of beef a day and the zoo has to spend more than eight million yuan (960,000 U.S. dollars) a year to run. However, the zoo only sells slightly more than six million yuan a year in entrance tickets.
The situation will probably worsen as another 30 tigers are expected to be born this year.
The help from the children and society will help alleviate the problem, said the zoo keeper.
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