As if saying “It’s okay” to my younger brothers…

At the foot of Mt. Munsu in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where the’Tiger Forest’ of the National Baekdudaegan Arboretum is located during the day on October 15th. Twenty-year-old Duman, the oldest tiger in Korea, lie down on the floor. Duman made a low cry at his younger brother Han Cheong (13, female) and us (7). Duman seemed to convey to his younger siblings who were worried about him, “It’s okay” and “It’s still bearable.”

This scene was captured on a closed circuit TV (CCTV) of the National Baekdudaegan Arboretum (hereinafter referred to as the Arboretum). This is the last image of Duman released by the Arboretum.

Duman died of old age around noon on the 20th. It was even before the fifth spring to spend in the forest came. The Baekdudaegan National Arboretum brought the Dumans who lived in a narrow cage in Pocheon National Arboretum in Gyeonggi Province in January 2017. Tiger Forest is a large 48,000m2 grassland that is 7 times the size of a soccer field, and is a cage in the form of a forest created by the Korea Forest Service in the foot of Baekdudaegan to allow tigers to live in nature.

The lifespan of tigers is 13 to 15 years in the wild and 17 to 20 years in the breeding environment, even when they arrived at the arboretum. It took more than a year to adjust from the cage prepared by the arboretum to the’real’ forest.

In September 2017, the JoongAng Ilbo covered three tigers (Duman, Hancheong, and Woori) in the Arboretum. Hancheong and we came from Seoul Grand Park in June of the same year. At that time, the JoongAng Ilbo observed the tiger from a distance not far from Duman and 50cm between it.

At that time, Duman showed off his dignified figure. When the zookeeper threw the chicken and beef, he rushed in in no time. As soon as I saw the Duman run, the hair on my whole body stood out. Veterinarian Jeon Jae-kyung, who was caring for tigers at the time, said, “It is a meaningful and wonderful experience to provide health care for a tiger to play in the forest.

However, Duman is said to have decreased his energy since the beginning of this year due to his old age, and his arthritis and internalized toenails have intensified, making it difficult to walk or eat well.

On April 11th, CCTV captured Duman’s slow walking trail in the forest. Although he could not walk properly, on this day, Duman fully enjoyed nature under the sunlight.

Duman is a tiger from Baekdu from China. Born on May 16, 2001, Duman came to Korea from Horimwon, China in November 2005, and lived at Pocheon National Arboretum in Gyeonggi Province. Our narrow life in Duman ended when we entered the National Baekdudaegan Arboretum. The Forest Service created the largest arboretum in Asia with an investment of 220 billion won from 2011 to 2015 to systematically protect Baekdu-daegan and preserve and manage forest biological resources. Also included is a tiger forest where tigers can play.

When Duman, who was proud of the arboretum, left, all the staff, including the zookeeper, fell in grief. The arboretum has about 5 employees who only manage tigers. The arboretum has been carefully managed to preserve the endangered first-class Baekdu-san tigers in the tiger management ledger. The arboretum said’I love you Duman. I will remember it forever. I made a video titled “Hello!” to commemorate Duman.

Min Gyeong-rok, head of the Baekdusan Tiger Conservation Center, said, “It was rewarding to see the first appearance of Dooman enjoying the Baekdu-daegan while walking freely in the tiger forest. I hope that Dooman, who has suffered so far, lives comfortably, and the tigers live in a healthy and enjoyable life in the tiger forest. I will try to do it.”

The National Baekdudaegan Arboretum is planning to focus on the conservation of the Baekdusan tiger species by introducing additional individuals in the future. There are about 20 tigers in zoos in Korea. Ten tigers can live in the tiger forest.

Bonghwa = Reporter Baek Kyungseo [email protected]