Chinese Government Officials Punished After Siberian Tiger Leaps to Death from Apartment Building

Members of the Chinese government have been punished after it was revealed they were keeping Siberian tigers as pets.

The South China Morning Post reports the tigers were discovered after one of them jumped to its death from an 11th floor apartment in the city of Qingdao. The dead tiger was one of eight that three Communist Party officials were illegally keeping as pets.

The tiger leapt from the 11th floor because it was terrified of fireworks displays that were part of the Lunar New Year. The tiger was supposed to have been caged, but somehow escaped.

The officials have each been fined $481 for their actions. Yang Wenzheng, a businessman, had been keeping the tigers for his friend, Cui Jinguang.

Jinguang is the manager of a nature park but could not afford to take care of all the tigers, so he asked Wenzheng to help him out by taking on two of the eight tigers in his possession. Jinguang gave another set of tigers, an adult and three cubs, to a different friend. Jinguang maintained possession of an adult tiger and a cub.

The authorities have since collected the tigers and found them appropriate homes. Employees for the department responsible for animal licenses and forestry have lost their job as a result of the scandal.

The loss of the young cub is all the more heartbreaking because it is widely believed there are less than 500 Siberian tigers currently living in the wild.