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Chinese wildlife park near farmland strives to ensure peaceful co-existence of humans, large cats

China

China

China

Chinese wildlife park near farmland strives to ensure peaceful co-existence of humans, large cats

2025-01-05 17:33 Last Updated At:18:07

Hunchun City, home to a thriving population of wild Siberian tigers and Amur leopards in northeast China's Jilin Province, has been developing protective measures to ensure the safety of both wildlife and rural residents.

In recent years, large cats in the city's Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park Administration have been observed inhabiting wider ranges within the park, according to Liu Linbo, director of the park's Hunchun branch.

While the success of preservation efforts is cause for celebration, it also presents new challenges for wildlife authorities as these predators begin to wander into areas that put them at risk of encounters with local residents. Liu said that the park is steadily advancing its initiative to isolate wildlife habitats from human settlements.

"In the long term, the coexistence of humans and tigers should be an inevitable trend. Looking at the entire area of Hunchun, the total activity area of tigers and leopards is over 3,300 square kilometers. Among this, the area where they can meet the villagers is nearly 1,000 square kilometers. Within this vast area, there are 29 natural villages where approximately 10,000 people reside. Therefore, if we want to avoid conflicts between humans and tigers, the best approach should be to comprehensively isolate the park from the production and living areas of villagers. This is the most effective way to ensure protection," he explained.

The official added that cutting-edge technologies used in the park are providing creative solutions to reduce the risk of encounters between humans and large cats.

Through an integrated intelligent monitoring system that can send back real-time videos, people living in the park will be alerted when wild animals are close to their villages or farmlands.

"In the over 3,300 square kilometers of the area under the jurisdiction of the Hunchun Branch, we have installed approximately 7,000 monitoring systems. Thus, it can effectively prevent the issue of tigers descending from the mountains. In particular, Hunchun City has established a four-level joint defense and early warning mechanism consisting of the protection bureau, the management and protection center, townships, and villages. In such circumstances, when tigers or leopards appear within three kilometers of a village, the early warning signals can be promptly transmitted to the village, ensuring the personal safety of the villagers," Liu said.

As one of the first five national parks announced in 2021, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park spans an area of over 1.4 million hectares in the provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang.

Lying in the heart of Asia's temperate conifer and broad-leaved mixed forest ecosystem, the national park is rich in temperate forest plant species like oak, beech and pine. The vast region provides a rich biodiversity environment for the species here, such as Siberian tigers and Amur leopards.

Chinese wildlife park near farmland strives to ensure peaceful co-existence of humans, large cats

Chinese wildlife park near farmland strives to ensure peaceful co-existence of humans, large cats

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Canadian prime minister to step down as opposition complains "nothing has changed"

2025-01-07 12:23 Last Updated At:12:37

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that he is stepping down as the Liberal Party leader but will stay on as prime minister until a new leader is selected, while the opposition leader complained that "nothing has changed".

The prime minister said Governor General Mary Simon had granted his request to prorogue Parliament until March 24.

"Nothing has changed," federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on his social media, questioning what has changed with Trudeau's announcement.

"Every Liberal MP and Leadership contender supported everything Trudeau did for nine years, and now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another four years," said Poilievre, the official opposition leader.

Trudeau is facing a revolt within his caucus and dismal public opinion polls, which indicate that his party is likely to be swept from power by Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives in an election, according to local media.

The House of Commons was scheduled to resume on Jan. 27, with the Conservatives planning to advance a non-confidence motion. Other opposition parties had indicated their readiness to bring down Trudeau's minority Liberal government. Trudeau's request for prorogation buys the Liberals time to run an expedited leadership race without facing a confidence vote.

A new session of Parliament would begin with a Speech from the Throne, setting the stage for a key confidence vote that could trigger a federal election in May if the Liberals fall.

Trudeau's decision to continue as prime minister through the next two months comes as Canada braces for the start of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's second term and his threats of 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada.

A majority of members of Parliament from the regional Liberal caucuses told Trudeau over the Christmas break that he must step aside. A national, daylong caucus to discuss the matter had been set for Wednesday, but this is now moot with a leadership race underway.

Liberal members of Parliament and party members will be briefed in the coming days on the party's constitution and caucus' role in the upcoming leadership campaign. According to the Liberal Party of Canada's constitution, "upon the occurrence of a leadership trigger event," or if the leader announces resignation, a meeting of the national board of directors must be called within 27 days. In consultation with the caucus, the board could appoint an interim leader. The top party officials would also be required to set a date for a leadership vote and other parameters around the race.

Trudeau has been the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2013 and prime minister since 2015.

Canadian prime minister to step down as opposition complains "nothing has changed"

Canadian prime minister to step down as opposition complains "nothing has changed"

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