More than 30 two-year-old tiger cubs from a famous Siberian tiger park in Harbin city, the capital of China's northernmost Heilongjiang Province have been released into the natural environment in a bid to beef up their ferocity.

It is the first time for the Northeast China Tiger Park to set free into an area of approximately 400,000 square meters in the natural environment in all weathers, according to keepers in the park on Wednesday.

These young tigers, which were formerly fenced, felt fresh upon release and gradually become acclimatized to the new environment, some sturdy cubs galloping and chasing each other, and others trying to line out their own "territories". There were also a number of timid cubs hid themselves in the thick grass and look around.

The two-year-old tiger cubs could now live by themselves in the natural habitat, noted the keepers, and the artificially feeding for so long, nevertheless, has weaken their capability of preying to some extent.

(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2003)