麻豆约拍

Ten Years ago, Li Quan - a petite former fashion executive --and her American multi-millionaire banker husband, turned their backs on the corporate world and, decided to use their personal wealth to try to save the South China tiger from extinction.

With no formal qualifications or conservation background, Li persuaded the Chinese authorities to lend her two precious zoo-bred tigers, to be shipped to a reserve in South Africa. There the tigers could learn to hunt and breed in the wild again. Their offspring would then be sent back to specially created wildlife reserves in China.

It was a daring plan, and widely criticised for being too risky and too costly. But ten years on, there are now 14 tigers in South Africa, six of them born in the last year, and all have proved proficient hunters.

The next stage of the project is to establish a wildlife reserve in China where the second generation cubs can be returned. Several possible sites have been selected, and prey animals would also have to be introduced for the tigers to hunt. It is a challenging task.

Depending on the site chosen by the Chinese government, thousands of people may have to be moved in order to make way for the tigers, and there is still the unresolved problem of poaching in a country where tiger blood and body parts are highly prized for Chinese medicine, despite being illegal since 1993.

Sue Armstrong asks whether this pioneering project has any prospect of saving one of the world's most endangered species?

Producer: Ruth Evans
A Ruth Evans production for 麻豆约拍 Radio 4.