Reproductive parameters of female South China Tigers in captivity

We monitored the reproductive parameters of South China Tigers (SCT) in captivity from 1983 to 2018. Tigers gave birth in all but 3 months of the year, with a peak in May, June, and July (goodness of fit test, χ2 = 49.928, p = 0.000, n = 270 litters from 65 mothers). The minimum age at 1st reproduction was 4.96 ± 2.43 (standard deviation, SD) years. The mean interval between litters was 410.2 ± 290.2 (SD) days (n = 38 pairs with consecutive reproduction). Mean litter size was 2.1 ± 0.9 (SD) (n = 270 litters from 65 tigers). The average survival rate of newborn cubs was 55.7% (SD = 17.7). There was significant maternal age variation among the litters studied. Reproduction mainly occurs in females in their prime (3–14 years old), with little in young and old females (one-way analysis of variance, ANOVA, F = 8.314, p = 0.005). Reproductive parameters of SCTs could be the basis of analysis on the population dynamics and management, and genetic considerations are necessary to plan future breeding programs and to assist in the selection of individuals for reintroduction to the wild.