Amur Tigers

[Apex Titan]

The Siberian Tiger - soul of the Russian wilderness

Powerful, dangerous and charismatic: the Siberian tiger is the largest wild cat in the world.

He lives in Russia's Far East, in the Sichote-Alin, a 1,500-kilometer forested mountain range between the Sea of Japan and the border with China. In 2018, a "Universum" camera team headed by wildlife director Franz Hafner traveled to this area for the first time to prepare a documentary about this tiger. The impressive result of the co-production by Interspot Film in cooperation with National Geographic, ORF, arte france and BR, funded by Fernsehfonds Austria, will be shown on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 8:15 p.m. in ORF 2 in “The Siberian Tiger – Soul of the Russians Wilderness”: As part of the ORF/MUTTER ERDE focus “Protect the climate, protect species.” (Details at presse.ORF.at), the new “Universum” documentary presents unique recordings of this charismatic wild cat, its prey and its habitat. Working on this film has shown: Siberian tigers are the key species of the forest ecosystem in the Far East of Russia. Their home ranges are vast; if you protect tigers, you protect the entire community.


Siberian tiger, Sikhote-Alin (Russia).

*This image is copyright of its original author

The Siberian tiger has had an eventful history. Threatened with extinction around 1940, strict protective measures have not failed to have an effect since then. At that time there were about 30 wild tigers; the stock has now grown to around 600. In contrast to India, Siberian tigers mostly live in the pathless jungle, hidden in dense undergrowth. And although there are more tigers again, it is very difficult to get them in front of the camera. During the preparations, it was already apparent how complicated the shooting would be. First, areas with good tiger stocks had to be found, then the transport had to be solved in the rough terrain. Finally, the teams traveled by boat in the summer and by snowmobile in the winter; neither was possible, on foot - with all the equipment in the backpack.

 
Siberian tigers roam vast territories of up to 100,000 hectares. Finding her was a challenge for the camera crew. Tigers' senses are extraordinary; they see, hear and smell far better than humans. If a tiger wants to remain hidden, you will not see it. After the film team had waited in vain for weeks, film traps were the last resort: at least their use proved to be promising and there were first impressive insights into the behavior of the shy big cats. The shooting of the team around Franz Hafner finally lasted one and a half years - in winter at -40 degrees, in summer with monsoon rains, tormented by swarms of mosquitoes - and was extremely exciting: "The tigers always knew that we were nearby."


Siberian tigress, Durmin (Russia).

*This image is copyright of its original author

How did director Franz Hafner come up with the idea for this film?: “When I was in the Far East of Russia for the first time, I came across the fresh track of a tiger in the winter forest. It was incredibly large, the size of a soup plate. My Russian friends then told me about their experiences with tigers, the unique habitat, the cold, the hunting skills. For them, the tiger was the soul of the Russian wilderness, the epitome of wildness and the power of nature. Ever since then I have been fascinated by the big cats and the desire to make a documentary about them arose.”

 

And Franz Hafner continues: “In the jungle of the Far East, the tiger is the master. It feels strange walking through the forest and knowing an animal nearby that - stronger and equipped with better senses - could kill you at any moment. A story about tigers is also a story about wilderness, about our origins and our future place in nature. As powerful, clever and superior as the tiger is, it will only survive if we humans want it to survive.”

 
Interspot producer Niki Klingohr: “This international high-end documentary shows the need for species protection. We were able to film the majestic Siberian Tigers in their remote habitat - one of the most pristine and beautiful natural areas in Russia. The film impressively shows the value of the tiger as a so-called 'umbrella species' for the entire ecosystem. The necessary protective measures, both for tigers and for humans, offer exciting aspects that I was not aware of."

https://tv.orf.at/program/orf2/universum238.html Reply