animals

China Moves to Tackle a Growing Menace: Rampaging Boars

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

Wily, aggressive, and weighing up to 200 kilos, wild boars have become a serious problem in many parts of rural China. Now, authorities are calling in the hunters.

Jiang Xinyi

The Bird-Whistling Guardian of Shanghai’s First World Heritage Site

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Retired bird catcher Jin Weiguo has helped collect data on countless species of migratory birds as part of the protection team at the Dongtan nature reserve.

The Paper

Chinese University Launches ‘Panda Studies’ Program

The college aims to train experts who can contribute to China’s drive to save the much-loved but vulnerable species.

Ye Zhanhang

Creator of Beloved Cartoon Cat Abandoned His Own Pet, Fans Discover

Artist Zhang Ping is in hot water after revealing that he abandoned the pet kitten that inspired his iconic character, Luo Xiaohei.

Li Xin

Ding Xiaoyan

Haitang, the Lost Chinese Whale, Finally Swims to Freedom

After a five-month rescue operation, the short-finned pilot whale has finally recovered from his injuries and been released back into the ocean.

Sixth Tone

Freezers Full of Dead Tigers Found Inside Chinese Zoo  

Fuyang Wildlife Park is accused of keeping animals in horrifying conditions, leading to dozens of unnatural deaths.

He Qitong

Li Dongxu

Can China Protect Its Whales?

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

Researcher Chen Mo confirmed the existence of China’s only known whale pod in 2018. Now he’s trying to protect them.

Cao Shuyun

Chinese Scientists Discover New Kind of Dinosaur Egg

The strange fossils are unlike anything previously discovered, and suggest that dinosaurs may have been even more diverse than we realized.

Ding Rui

The Ups and Downs of Owning Pet Birds in Urban China

While birds offer an affordable pet choice, their vulnerability to illness and the lack of specialized veterinary care, particularly beyond major urban centers, present significant hurdles.

China’s First Artificially Bred Pallas’s Cat Dies in Qinghai Park

In China, these elusive animals, which mainly inhabit the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, are at serious risk due to decades of hunting. Researchers say they are the most difficult feline to breed in the world.

How a Chinese Cat With a Doleful Mug Became an Online Star

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

Meet Guangdang, whose insatiable appetite and captivating face endeared her to millions of cat lovers around the world.

Fan Yiying

Price Hikes for Pet Sitters in China During Spring Festival 

China’s growing number of pet owners are having to spend more to make sure their pets are well taken care of this holiday period.

China’s Top Court Takes Aim at Owners of Aggressive Dogs 

Dog owners can be held liable even in cases where their dogs do not make contact with injured parties.

China’s Vet Shortage, by the Numbers

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

Pet ownership is booming. But where are all the vets?

Luo Yahan

Endangered Xizang Cattle Cloned for the First Time 

Scientists hope the accomplishment will save a national strategic resource from extinction.

Cat Island: A Utopia For Shanghai’s Stray Felines

Lü Xiao

Wu Huiyuan 

Amur Leopard Killed in Northeast China, Tiger a Likely Culprit

Wildlife experts describe this clash between the two endangered species as highly unusual, given the rarity of tigers encountering the more agile and cautious leopards in the wild.

China’s Latest Matchmaking Craze: Blind Dates for Cats 

Young Chinese are hijacking local marriage markets to find the purr-fect partner for their pets and often to challenge traditional dating customs. Their parents are not amused.

Liu Shuhuan

Male Mosquitoes Sucked Blood Too — Then Went Plant-Based to Survive: Researcher 

Turns out male mosquitoes were just as blood-thirsty as female ones.

Zhu Junxi

City Slickers: How Shanghai Is Outfoxing Its Raccoon Dog Problem

In 2019, raccoon dogs were limited to 40 local communities. Now, they’ve expanded to over 300. Recent efforts such as community education and property management are gradually yielding results in addressing the uptick.