Tigers preying on bears offers new ecological insight

A recent wildlife survey in a national park in northeast China reveals that tigers preying on bears is not a rare phenomenon within the park, offering fresh perspectives on predator relationships in the region.

The survey, led by Beijing Normal University and supported by multiple research teams and institutions, is being conducted in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTLNP) and marks the launch of its first systematic baseline survey on wildlife resources.

The park, which spans Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, is home to around 70 wild Siberian tigers, 80 wild Amur leopards, along with brown bears, Asian black bears, and other large carnivores. Officially established in 2021, the park is an important biodiversity hub.

Cameras captured a remarkable scene of a Siberian tiger steadily pursuing a large brown bear, which, despite its typically bulky build and slow movements, displayed surprising agility.

Feng Limin, a professor at the College of Life Sciences of Beijing Normal University, explained that the tiger's steady pursuit was likely due to its youth and inexperience in hunting bears.

DNA analysis of tiger and leopard scat samples has revealed that bears -- traditionally considered apex predators with no natural enemies -- make up a notable portion of the Siberian tiger's diet.

"Based on our initial analysis, we've made some surprising discoveries. For example, we further know that in addition to medium and large herbivores like wild boars and sika deer, tigers also prey on large carnivores, such as bears. We've found that bears make up about 10 percent of the Siberian tiger's diet year round. Infrared camera footage has previously recorded tigers chasing bears," Feng said.

Typically, large carnivores are seen as apex predators with no natural enemies, often avoiding direct confrontations by adjusting their activity patterns. However, increasing reports of tigers preying on both leopards and bears are providing new insights into the complex relationships and food webs within the park's ecosystem.

"This helps us gain a deeper understanding of the ecological processes and complex relationships within the ecosystem of the NCTLNP, contributing invaluable data for the future conservation of its biodiversity," the professor added.

Tigers preying on bears offers new ecological insight

China's 2026 box office revenue had surpassed 14 billion yuan (about 2.06 billion U.S. dollars) as of Tuesday, fueled by a diverse array of hit movies and consumption promotion campaigns.

The film industry got off to a strong start during the Spring Festival holiday. "Pegasus 3," the latest installment in director Han Han's racing comedy franchise, amassed over 4 billion yuan and remains the year's top grossing film so far.

Released during the Qingming Festival, the comedy drama "It's OK" focused on a mother-daughter bond and resonated strongly with young women, topping April's box office chart with more than 160 million yuan in ticket sales.

During the just concluded May Day holiday, "Dear You," a low budget film in the Chaoshan (Teochew) dialect featuring an almost entirely first-time cast, became one of China's biggest cinematic surprises of 2026. As the highest rated domestic release so far this year, the tear-jerking drama had raked in over 180 million yuan as of Wednesday afternoon.

The five-day May Day holiday, a key period for movie-going, drew more than 20.8 million people to cinemas, a 10 percent jump from a year ago, while the number of screenings rose 2 percent to nearly 2.4 million.

Bolstered by the "2026 China Film Consumption Year" and "China Travel with Chinese Films" initiatives, cinema spending has become a major driver of cultural and tourism consumption. The entire film industry chain has generated over 220 billion yuan in output value since January.

China's 2026 box office surpasses 14 bln yuan