It still numbered several thousand in the 1950s, but, as settlement spread with the end of long years of turmoil in southern China, the tiger was officially declared a pest. Teams of hunters killed at least 3,000 before the tiger was given protection in 1976. Since then poaching and continuing loss of habitat and prey species have continued to reduce numbers to near extinction. Reports in recent years indicated that tigers still survived in mountainous regions along the border of Hunan Province with Guangdong and Jiangxi and at some other widely scattered points. Chinese rural people are hostile to tigers, which are also hunted for bones and other parts for medical use.
Tiger meat is considered a delicacy in some places.
The Hong Kong Morning News reported recently that, although eating tiger meat was illegal, it was still available in Shenzhen, China's special development area on the border with Hong Kong. The meat was said to come from Sichuan and some Chinese zoos. The Indian Government will implement eco-development programmes in buffer areas around all 18 tiger reserves, according to the annual report of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Eco-development activities will aim at increasing the biomass productivity of the buffer areas to ensure the availability of adequate firewood and fodder for people adversely affected by bans on removal of these products from the core areas of the tiger reserves. The programme will also provide veterinary care for domestic cattle and encourage stall-feeding by improving breeds.