As if asking why I came... Baekdusan Tiger staring at the vehicle

Witness Accounts from Jilin Province, China... "Vehicles Are Ignored"
"Rarely Confronted Without Fear"

A wild Baekdusan tiger in China was seen standing firmly without any sign of fear when encountering a passing vehicle, drawing widespread attention.

A Baekdusan tiger confronting a passenger car in Hunchun, China.
[Photo by Baidu]

On the 28th, on social media platforms (SNS), Mr. Wang reported spotting a Baekdusan tiger in Hunchun, Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province. As a result, videos related to the Baekdusan tiger climbed to the top of real-time search rankings on Baidu and other platforms.

Mr. Wang said, "While driving on a snowy mountain road recently covered with thick snow, I encountered a fully grown wild tiger weighing at least 200 to 250 kg. This tiger casually strolled along the roadside, paying no attention to the passing vehicle."

He added, "I stopped the car by the roadside, but the tiger did not flee and stared directly at my car. The standoff lasted about 10 minutes. It was a tense moment, but I responded calmly, and as the tiger eventually left, no one was harmed, and the situation ended safely."

A Baekdusan tiger confronting a passenger car in Hunchun, China.
[Photo by Baidu]

The video he posted shows a tiger standing firmly on all four legs on a snow-covered roadside, looking at the driver. This large, clearly striped tiger showed no signs of surprise or agitation and was quietly observing the vehicle.

A local wildlife protection official said, "Wild animals usually flee quickly or hide in the forest when encountering vehicles. It is extremely rare for them to stand their ground without fear and engage in a prolonged standoff."

Netizens who watched the video reacted with comments such as, "It looks ready to fight," "This is the spirit of the Baekdusan tiger," "No wonder it is called the king of beasts," and "If I experienced this firsthand, I would have been trembling with fear."

Meanwhile, in October 2021, China designated 14,100 square kilometers in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces as the Baekdusan Tiger and Leopard National Park to protect these species. This area is about 23 times the size of Seoul. Currently, it is known that around 60 Baekdusan tigers and leopards each inhabit this region, and their numbers continue to increase.

Earlier, on the 25th, a critically endangered wild Northeast leopard was found dead, bitten by a Baekdusan tiger in eastern China. Local wildlife protection authorities who investigated the scene confirmed that the leopard, weighing 50 kg, was killed by a wild Baekdusan tiger. A local resident said, "It seems it was attacked by a wild animal larger and fiercer than itself."