On the 18th, the weather was clear and cloudless.

Ye Quan came to the South China Tiger Rewilding Training Base, and today is the day of the release of the four-year-old male tiger "Weiwei".

After half a year of rewilding training, the "Weiwei" at this time is more majestic than before, the momentum is mighty, and it already has some combat effectiveness of the king of beasts, and all kinds of predation skills are very superb, and one or two hundred catties of wild boars can not escape its pursuit.

The male tiger will be transported by helicopter and released directly into Hutou Mountain in the heart of the Nanyueling Nature Reserve, which is the range of the wild female tiger "Dandan", and then it is hoped that the two South China tigers will be able to look at each other and breed this population in the wild.

Relevant departments and media also attach great importance to this release, and the status of the South China tiger is unique, and it is so affecting the visual nerves of the world.

The South China tiger is the only tiger subspecies native to Xinhua and is considered the ancestor of all tigers; It is listed as the world's most endangered species and the first tiger species in need of protection by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and ranks first among the top ten endangered species in the world......

At present, the South China tigers in China are scattered in 20 zoos across the country, and they are all descendants of six wild South China tigers captured in 1955.

It is impossible for higher animals to rely on only one male and female, or a few heads, to pass on their ancestry, because then inbreeding will occur, and the entire population will soon become extinct.

The South China tiger is at such a critical juncture, although various zoos have adopted guò artificial breeding methods to help the South China tiger reproduce, but the cruel thing is that because the number is scarce. These South China tigers had to mate "in the same generation" as siblings. Even "string generation" mating between fathers and daughters, grandparents and grandchildren.

The evil consequences of "consanguineous marriage". It is to make these captive-bred South China tigers weaken from generation to generation in terms of physical condition and survivability. Currently, the mortality rate of South China tiger cubs is as high as 44%.

To avoid inbreeding, an animal group needs at least a few hundred individuals.

If the "Weiwei" is successfully released and mates with the tigress in the wild, then the relevant departments plan to release the remaining five South China tigers in the Nanyue Ridge and other suitable protected areas in the next year. and eventually form two to three small populations.

The question of whether South China tigers can be rewilded has been controversial in the scientific community.

At present, most of the South China tigers in zoos across China are already in captivity for the fifth or sixth generation, and they have long lost the ability to survive independently in the wild, especially the lack of key behaviors such as predation and domain.

The acquisition of these abilities is not a one-day or two-day effort, nor is it something that can be taught artificially.

The achievements of the Taoyuan Rewilding Training Base in this regard have surprised the experts who study the South China tiger and called it a "miracle"!

However, the rewilding base is not 100% of the wild environment, and even the wild boars fed are not real wild boars, and the success of rewilding ultimately depends on the release. Whether the South China tiger can really survive and reproduce.

The first episode of the documentary "The Tiger Returns to the Mountain" filmed by Galaxy Film and Television Company has been broadcast on TV stations. The content is mainly about the current situation of South China tigers and the situation of wild training in the base, and has achieved very good ratings and social repercussions.

In the next few episodes, members of the film crew are required to follow the male tiger into the depths of the mountains and forests for tracking and shooting.

Xinhuaguo lags far behind the developed countries in the West in the filming of wildlife documentaries, especially the original ecological and objective documentaries that record animal life, and all the currently praised wildlife documentaries are also made by Western photographers.

Back then, "Animal World" and "Man and Nature" didn't know how many people grew up.

The level of a country's nature documentaries actually represents the technical level of film and television shooting in that country.

The reason why Xinhua is so backward is that technology and equipment are a factor, such as in the polar regions, highlands, high altitudes, seabed and other special environments, special technology and equipment are needed.

But technical and equipment challenges can be overcome. More importantly, there are extremely high requirements for photographers' skills and literacy, high shooting costs, lack of profit channels and corporate sponsorship.

In order to achieve the best shooting effect, the filming team of "Returning the Tiger to the Mountain" will use more than 10 kinds of advanced shooting equipment such as high-tech "frisbee" and intelligent walking camera to record the subsequent progress of male tiger release, survival, predation, encounter with female tiger, mating and so on.

At the same time, the expedition team also monitored the status of wild boars, wild sheep and other wild animals in Hutou Mountain, and demonstrated the development of the tiger population in South China in the future.

The use of various aircraft for aerial photography, including micro unmanned remotely piloted aerial vehicles, has become very popular in various countries, but it is mainly used in open areas, is a long-distance shooting, and there are still shortcomings such as difficulty and instability, which are useless in complex mountain and forest environments.

The technology used in the "frisbee" provided by Ye Quan is still under wraps, and this thing is actually more suitable for tactical military reconnaissance.

After modification, the "Frisbee" camera is only slightly larger than the sea bowl, a bit like a mysterious flying saucer, flying silently, and stealth function, can turn at will, backward or hover, can track the target around the clock for shooting, stay in the air for more than 30 hours, can shoot at a distance, can also be close to the scene without alarming the wild animals, the picture is very clear.

The "Frisbee" camera is so convenient for tracking and photographing wild animals, there is no need to lurk, there is no need to venture closer, and you are not afraid of losing the target, as long as you can remotely control it within 5 kilometers, and it is effortless to want any angle.

Ye Quan sat on the Z-15 super helicopter that he had modified, and there were more than a dozen members of the "Let the Tiger Return to the Mountain" film crew and the South China Tiger Scientific Expedition Team in the cabin, including the director and photographer of Galaxy Film and Television Company, as well as guides, reporters, South China tiger experts, and animal and plant experts.

Ye Quan's feet are crawling a big tiger with white eyes and white forehead, "king" shaped markings, it is the male tiger "Weiwei", with his current ability, it is a very simple matter to communicate and appease with his telekinesis, "Weiwei" is as well-behaved as a big lazy cat.

However, the other members of the cabin did not think so, they had been filming this big tiger for a month, and after training, this tiger had become wild and could bite a large wild boar in a few seconds, and they only dared to shoot it from a distance.

Now, with a big tiger at hand, when the tiger's tail is flicking, it can even sweep on them, if the tiger suddenly threatens, in the helicopter, you can't escape, and the less courageous are really restless.

Ye Quan could feel the nervousness of several people opposite, and said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, this big cat has been raised by people since he was a child, even if he is fierce now, it will not hurt people." ”

Ji Kun, the person in charge of the rewilding base, was also on the helicopter, and he treasured all the purebred South China tigers in China, and "Weiwei" almost grew up watching him, but he didn't have much fear, and said emotionally: "I can see the growth of wild South China tigers in my lifetime, and I can look at it." ”

This time he entered the mountain, Ji Kun insisted on participating in the investigation of the survival conditions of South China tigers in the wild, regardless of his age of 63.

After the wild South China tiger "Dandan" was discovered, in order not to be disturbed by humans and guide the unimaginable consequences, Ye Quan and Ji Kun discussed, in addition to satellite positioning and tracking, refused all follow-up expedition activities, and kept Hutou Mountain quiet, until after the release of "Weiwei", a comprehensive field investigation was carried out.

As an authoritative expert who has studied South China tigers for most of his life, the goal of his previous research was to stay in the zoo, and the situation is getting worse and worse, but now he finally sees hope, and if he does not pay attention to the development and growth of this population, he is really unwilling.

The helicopter stopped steadily on a flat high ground in Hutou Mountain, Ye Quan opened the cabin door and walked down with everyone.

"Weiwei" jumped out of the cabin, facing a completely unfamiliar environment, it was a little nervous at first, but very alert to observe the surrounding situation, and after finding that this is a huge vast world, its eyes hesitated for a while, jumped on a boulder, lingered for a while, and suddenly roared, the sound shook the four fields, aroused the surrounding valley echoes, and also startled countless birds.

This tiger roar seems to herald the return of the king of the forest!

Ye Quan looked at the mountains, his heart couldn't help but feel comfortable, and he also let out a long howl and responded to the mountains.

"Weiwei" turned his head to look at everyone, and with Ye Quan's encouragement, he chose a direction, and with a few vertical leaps, he disappeared into the dense mountain forest.

This historic moment was naturally captured by a photographer.

In the next few months, the film crew will follow the male tiger hundreds of meters away, using various equipment to track and shoot, and a helicopter will be ready to support him.

According to the tracking and monitoring of the female tiger "Dandan" by the Tianyan satellite, the two South China tigers are about 19 kilometers apart at this time, which is quite close to the tiger's range.

As for when the two tigers will meet? What happens when we meet? It's really exciting. (To be continued......)