The key facts

  • A second Amur tiger has been released in the Ile-Balkhash reserve after adaptation and checks of its hunting skills
  • The tigress Umit, released in July, is hunting on her own
  • Russia handed over four tigers to Kazakhstan at the end of May

The second tiger has been released into the wild

In Kazakhstan, a second Amur tiger among the animals handed over by Russia has been released into the wild. The release took place on the territory of the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve in the south-east of the country, as announced by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan. Before the release, the tiger was kept in a special adaptation enclosure, underwent veterinary examinations and tests in which specialists assessed its hunting skills, its ability to obtain food on its own, and its reaction to the presence of humans.

The fate of the first tigress and the relocation programme

The first release took place at the end of July, when a tigress named Umit ('Hope') was set free. According to specialists, her adaptation is going successfully and the tigress is hunting on her own — it was previously reported that the tigers gifted by Russia had begun to hunt. The relocation programme started at the end of May, when Russia, as part of efforts to restore the tiger population in Kazakhstan, handed over four Amur tigers from Khabarovsk Krai; Russian President Vladimir Putin called the project an example of partnership between the two countries in the field of environmental protection. Thus, two of the four animals brought in have already been released into the wild.

Context

The Amur tiger is one of the rarest predators on the planet and is listed in the International Red Book. According to data cited by Gazeta.Ru, about 750 individuals of the species, including cubs, live in Russia — in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krais and in Amur Oblast and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast. The publication does not report on the fate of the two remaining tigers handed over to Kazakhstan.