Two tigers at large in a famous tourist spot have disrupted the lives of thousands of local people and visitors in Taian, Shandong Province.
An adult tiger and a cub have been roaming around Mount Tai in the mountainous Donglu area and around Tianzhu Peak since last Wednesday, the Taian government said yesterday.
The Mount Tai Administrative Bureau closed the two sites and put up thousands of notices on village walls nearby, where more than 1,000 people live. Radio and TV stations have also been broadcasting stories about the tiger sightings and search parties are looking for the animals.
The authorities have not closed down the tourist attraction eight or nine kilometers from the place where the tigers were spotted. No alert notices have been put up there and scores of travelers are still sightseeing in the major tourist site, although many are staying away - many businesses have had to close. Of the tourists left behind, many said they have heard about the tigers but want to continue sightseeing.
More than 1,000 people from the local Public Security Bureau, the armed police, fire brigades, and the Mount Tai Administrative Bureau circles are searching for the tigers.
It has been reported that the local authorities have confirmed there are two tigers, not three as was thought to be the case. The adult animal was spotted at 8:30 am last Wednesday, and the cub seen last Friday morning.
It is not clear where the tigers have come from. The nearby Mount Tai Dongbei Tiger Zoo and the Jinan Safari Zoo have both denied losing any tigers. Local sources have also excluded the possibility of the animals originating from a circus.
(China Daily June 17, 2005)
