New Year calendar paw stamps popular amongst netizens

New Year calendars featuring a baby tiger's paw print have recently taken the Internet by storm, drawing public attention to animal conservation while also prompting netizens to joke that the upcoming Year of the Snake seems to have been upstaged by a little tiger.

Staff members at a zoo in Linfen city, North China's Shanxi province, are seen in a viral video creating calendar paw stamps by pressing a baby tiger's paw against an inkpad.

A zoo staff said the calendars stamped with the tiger paw prints are priced at 10 yuan ($1.4), but due to limited availability, they have already been snatched up by enthusiastic fans and zoo visitors.

A zoo visitor named Lele has bought the calendar and said that she really likes it, because the idea of having a tiger paw print on calendars is unique and gives a feeling of being close to nature.

"This calendar is very beautiful and can be a special gift for friends and family. I find it particularly meaningful as the zoo is using this approach to raise awareness about animal protection," she told the media outlet Cover News.

Other zoos have followed suit, such as Xixiakou Animal World in Weihai city, Shandong province, and Jinlong Zoo in Foshan city, Guangdong province, which have also launched similar cultural and creative products.

Wang Cheng, who is in charge of the Jinlong Zoo in Guangdong, was quoted by Cover News as saying that they were inspired by the calendars released by Linfen Zoo, and have also introduced their own New Year-themed tiger paw calendars, with the paw stamps of the two tiger cubs — Li Zi and Du Du — at the Jinlong Zoo.

Moreover, they have integrated the tradition of writing Spring Festival couplets into the design, thus the calendar features the tiger cub's paw print surrounded by blessings written by local calligraphers, Wang said.

Xu Nuo contributed to this story.