CHANGCHUN - An infrared camera set up by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and forestry authorities in northeast China's Jilin province has captured images of a wild Siberian tiger in the Wanda Mountains.

Zhu Jiang, head of the WWF Northeast China Program Office, said Saturday that the photos, taken earlier this month, are the first images of a wild Siberian tiger taken in the mountainous area.

He said the evidence consolidates the mountains' role as an important habitat for the endangered species, and reinforces the need for local authorities to tighten protection measures, especially clearing animal traps and improving animal rescue efforts.

The agency estimates that there are fewer than 20 wild Siberian tigers remaining in China. They live in mountains in the northeastern Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces.

Zhu said animal traps still pose a major threat to the safety of wild Siberian tigers and their prey.

A wild Siberian tiger was found dead with a trap around its neck in the city of Mishan, Heilongjiang, in October.

A WWF survey found an average of 1.6 traps for every 10 km of distance covered in the Siberian tiger nature reserves in Heilongjiang and Jilin last winter.

"The WWF hopes to cooperate with local governments to protect Siberian tigers and restore their habitats," Zhu told Xinhua. "We aim to help double the population of wild Siberian tigers in China by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger," he said.