A South China tiger in the China Tiger Park within the Meihua Mountain South China Tiger Breeding Research Institute in Longyan, Fujian province. [Photo/IC]

Two South China tigers, 7-year-old Weiwei and 5-year-old Linlin, were relocated on June 26 from their compact 50-square-meter enclosure to a relatively vast 1,500-mu or 100 hectares rewilding base in Longyan city, in East China's Fujian province.

The move signifies the official launch of China's biggest training base for rewilding South China tigers.

Following sedation, examination and tagging by Meihua Mountain South China Tiger Breeding Research Institute staff, the tigers were transferred to a buffer zone within the base.

Longyan initiated a national rescue program for the critically endangered South China tiger in 1998, establishing the Meihua Mountain South China Tiger Breeding Research Institute and the China Tiger Park. Currently housing 34 South China tigers, the facility aims to reintroduce them back into the wild.

The newly operational 1,500-mu rewilding base, the largest in China, comprises two adaptation areas, a quarantine section and two advanced training areas.

Weiwei and Linlin are currently in adaptation zones one and two, featuring simulated wild habitats with natural dens, watering holes and feeding passages to rekindle their survival instincts before progressing to the larger training sections.

The project is said to mark a significant stride forwards in preparing the species for their eventual release into the natural world.