The wildlife and conservation group WWF says the South China tiger is actually native to the Hainan most forests of south-east China, and because there are so few individuals left, it is regarded by many scientists as being "functionally extinct" in the wild. But a group called Save China's Tigers has been working on a captive- breeding programme and hopes to reach an agreement with China's State Forestry Administration to reintroduce captive-bred animals into the wild. If all goes well, the first individuals could be reintroduced to coincide with the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Rare insect hit by housing scheme Britain's rarest beetle, the streaked bombardier, could soon become extinct in the UK when a new housing development is built over the single site at which it can be found, a brownfield site on the Thames Estuary in East London.
It is possible to combine piebald with bicolour. Bicolour Siamese have been bred in Europe to a mixed reception. A few Himalayan breeders breed bicolour Himalayans, using bicolour Persians to introduce the white spotting pattern. Paul Beall, Richmond, Texas is one such breeder. Paula's photo (below) shows a bicolour (piebald) Himalayan, but unfortunately this cat has not produced piebald-point kittens and Paula has decided not to reintroduce the gene from Persians. GENETICS OF PIEBALD CATS When the amount of white is small (under 40%), it is called low-grade spotting and comprises the white belly patch, mitts, locket and blaze. In medium grade spotting, the amount of white varies from 40% to 60% of the coat and is the typical pattern of a show quality bicolour (a mask and mantle effect). When it is extensive (more than 60%), it is called high-grade spotting - the Seychellois or Van pattern.
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