In a rare incident, a wild Siberian tiger attacked and killed a leopard in a national park in northeast China, local authorities said Thursday.
The discovery came to light when the Hunchun branch of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park administration received reports about a carcass believed to be that of an Amur leopard.
At the scene, the dead leopard was lying on the snow-covered ground, with multiple bite marks on its head, abdomen and hindquarters.
“After arriving at the scene, we followed the drag marks and discovered footprints of another feline species. About 160m south, clear signs of a fight were found. It should be the initial site of the encounter,” said Yu Hongxun, deputy director of the national park’s Hunchun branch.
According to a joint investigation team launched by the national park, local law enforcement authorities, and a research centre from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA), the leopard had been attacked and eaten by an adult male Siberian tiger.
The investigation determined that it was an eight-year-old male leopard. This leopard had been recorded over 800 times by the park’s monitoring system, and the most recent monitoring record dates back to September this year, said Feng Limin, deputy director of the monitoring and research center of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards under NFGA. — Xinhua
