Which tiger subspecies is native to southern China and possibly extinct in the wild?

The tiger subspecies native to southern China and possibly extinct in the wild is the South China tiger, Panthera tigris amoyensis. It historically occupied several provinces in south-central and southeastern China, including Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong and Sichuan.

Its decline accelerated during the 20th century. Government anti-pest campaigns killed thousands of tigers in the early 1950s, while deforestation, prey depletion, hunting and habitat fragmentation further isolated the surviving animals. Estimates fell from more than 4,000 wild tigers in the early 1950s to roughly 150–200 by 1982 and only 30–40 by 1987.

Extensive field surveys in 2001 found no confirmed evidence of wild South China tigers. Later reports and alleged sightings have not established a verified surviving wild population, so conservation sources often describe the subspecies as possibly extinct in the wild. Captive animals remain, but their limited genetic diversity complicates reintroduction plans.

It is not the Siberian tiger, which is associated with northeastern Asia, nor the Malayan tiger, which is native to the Malay Peninsula. The name itself points to the subspecies’ historical Chinese range.