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Geumgang (left) and Duman

Korean tigers have returned to the Baekdu-daegan mountain range for the first time in nearly a century.

The Korea Forest Service announced on Jan. 26 that it had transported a pair of male Korean tigers named Duman, 15, and Geumgang, 11, the day before to the tiger forest at the Baekdu-daegan National Arboretum in Seobyeok, a village in the Chuyang township of Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang Province. Both tigers are named after Korean rivers.

Also known as “Mt. Baekdu tigers,” the Korean tigers are returning to the Baekdudaegan range on the southern Korean Peninsula for the first time since the last known example was captured at Gyeongju in 1921.

The pair of tigers was donated by China in 2011 through a bilateral forestry cooperation meeting. While the tiger forest was being developed, Duman’s care was entrusted to the National Arboretum in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, and Geumgang’s to O-World in Daejeon. Due to their sensitivity, the Korea Forest Service transported the tigers at low speeds in a non-vibration, climate-controlled vehicle, arriving safely at the arboretum late in the afternoon on Jan. 25. An accompanying keeper and veterinarian also inspected the animals’ condition.

Duman and Geumgang’s new home, the Baekdu-daegan National Arboretum’s tiger forest, measures 4.8 hectares and was designed with hills, forests, and streams to resemble their natural habitat. Once the forest is complete and the tigers have adapted, the Korea Forest Service plans to open it to the public and introduce another ten or so tigers of outstanding genetic stock, including Geumgang’s daughter Mi-ho.

The Korea Forest Service has set up a system of 24-hour care for the tigers, including top-of-the-line medical treatment, and installed barriers around the forest to allow visitors to observe them in safety. Temporarily opened last September, the Baekdu-daegan National Arboretum measures 5,179 hectares in total and is organized for exhibition, research, and recreation, with a Seed Vault (the world’s first forestry seed permanent storage facility), a climate change indicator plant garden, an alpine plant research wing, and hills with wildflowers.

“Mt. Baekdu tigers are a protected species designated as Level 1 endangered wild fauna,” explained Park Jong-ho, director of the Korea Forest Service’s forest usage bureau.

“In addition to its significance in marking the return of Korean tigers, which are known to be endangered in the southern Korean Peninsula, their release in the tiger forest also establishes a foothold for systematic preservation of Korean tigers,” Park added.

By Song In-geol, Daejeon correspondent

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