(11-09-2017, 04:49 AM)Wolverine Wrote:

(11-05-2017, 12:27 PM)sanjay Wrote: 4 feline species recorded on the same trail of the "Land of the Leopard" at once!

An Amur leopard, a Siberian tiger, a lynx and an Amur leopard cat have got caught in the lens of trail cameras fixed in the same area of the "Land of the Leopard". For the first time in the period of photomonitoring all these four species inhabiting the most famous feline territory of the country were noticed on the same trail.

Behind the creation of national park "Land of the Leopard" as long as I know stay Sergey Ivanov - former Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office and the third most powerful man in Russia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Ivanov

During his early years of diplomatic career he accidently met a leopard in Eastern Africa (Kenya) and was so impressed that became a big fan of that animal. Sergey Ivanov did almost all burocratic work for the creation of that national park and was so powerful that even instructed Russian army to stop any military exercises in 30 km radius of the park in order to not worry the wild animals. Unfortunately a few years ago Sergey Ivanov lost tragicaly his son in car accident and withdrow from big politics.

Concerning Vladimir Putin himself he is more interested in tigers. Putin is no doubt a dictator and destroyed democracy in Russia. But he no doubt has some merits for the conservation of tigers in Russia. He is the first Russian ruller who personally made 2-3 interactions with Amur tigers traveling in the their remote wild forests. Here Putin release into the wild young Amur tigers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaVl6zcyA9I

I don't say that Putin love tigers because he probably love only power but probably he feel some limited sympathy and interest toward them as long as its possible to any politician. There are rumors that a decade ago he called all regional governors and people with power in Russian Far East in joined meeting. "I want from you tigers to be well protected, want their numbers increasing and I want results - said boldly the Big Bad Uncle - and hit the table with his fist. Since then the regional leaders from Russian Far East start to afraid for their positions, because any fail in protecting Amur tigers could lead to dismissal of the governors of Primorskii or Habarovski region. The number and the territory of protected arias in Ussuriland for last 17 years increased tree fold. Of course nobody can stop completely the poaching of tigers because the Chinese black market is too big temptation for every hunter and is too close.

That fear from Putin has also his negative sides. Trying to convince the boss that number of tigers is increasing local Russian governmental institutions maybe artificially boost the real number of Amur tigers hiding the real numbers. So, concerning tiger numbers is better to believe to independent non-governmental organisations and take with some doubt official data. But in general situation with Amur tigers in not too bad.
This tiger sub-specie probably has the best prospects in the future because its the only one existing in the territories where the human populations is decreasing. Russia is currently entering a second more harsh phase of its demographic crisis because now in birth circle are entering very limited and not numerous generation of women born in chaotic 90-s.

(11-14-2017, 12:00 PM)paul cooper Wrote:

*This image is copyright of its original author

Huge Amur Tiger

(11-14-2017, 01:10 PM)Rishi Wrote:

(11-14-2017, 12:00 PM)paul cooper Wrote:

*This image is copyright of its original author

Huge Amur Tiger

Not Amur...Bengal tiger from Bhutan's mountains in winter.