“A Siberian tiger, also known as the Baekdusan tiger, came down to a village in northeastern China and attacked a resident,” reads a report from Chinese media. According to the Heilongjiang Daily, on the 18th (local time), a Baekdusan tiger came into Jixing Korean-Chinese Township in Boli County, Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province, and attacked a 65-year-old villager, biting his left arm before fleeing.
The injured resident is currently reported to be receiving treatment in a hospital. Authorities have issued an evacuation order for residents and are searching for the tiger using infrared cameras and drones to trace its whereabouts. It is not yet confirmed if the tiger is still in the village.
This is not the first time a Baekdusan tiger has descended into a residential area and attacked a person. In December last year, a man walking his dog in a village in eastern Khabarovsk, Russia, was killed by a Baekdusan tiger attack.
Known as one of the largest tiger species on Earth, the Baekdusan tiger, also called the Siberian tiger, is classified as an endangered species and listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. In October 2021, China designated 14,100 square kilometers across Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces as a national park for Baekdusan tigers and leopards. It is currently known that about 60 Baekdusan tigers and leopards reside in this area.