Amur Tigers

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Expert in Khabarovsk estimated the real number of tigers in Russia

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Photo: FGBU Reserved Amur Region

Viktor Lukarevsky, one of the largest experts on big wild cats in Russia, examined the habitats of tigers on the territory of the Federal State Budgetary Institution Zapovednoye Priamurye in the Khabarovsk Territory. According to the news agency "Khabarovsk Territory Today", in the Bolshekhekhtsirsky Reserve, he is trying to trace the history of the emergence of this isolated population of striped predators.

Recall that a few years ago, after a long break, tigers reappeared on Bolshoi Khekhtsir. A female named Zlata has already twice brought offspring from a male Odyr. Viktor Lukarevsky, Ph.D. in Biology, came to the Far East on his vacation to assess the prospects of this family of tigers, whether they can feed on this territory. Although the specialist called the conditions in the Bolshekhekhtsirsky Reserve favorable for the Red Book predators, he is generally skeptical about the official data on the state of the Amur tiger in Russia. This summer, the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia reported that the population of this rare animal in the Far East has reached 580 individuals, although 15 years ago it barely reached half a thousand.

- I believe that the official number of tigers in Russia is overstated. I came to such conclusions after analyzing the results of my surveys of tiger habitats. We have five stable groups in Primorye. On the territory of the Khabarovsk Territory, this is primarily the Anyui National Park, an emerging group on the territory of the Bolshekhekhtsirsky Reserve. And also there is a group of tigers that live outside the specially protected natural areas between the Khor and Bikin rivers. So, if the number of tigers is monitored on the territory of protected areas, its accuracy reaches 90% using these camera traps. But outside reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, we have very rough information about the number of these Red Book animals, - said Viktor Lukarevsky. - I conducted spot surveys in areas outside of the protected areas using proven methods, with the help of local colleagues. I came to the conclusion that the 400 tigers outside the protected areas, which are mentioned in the official reports, they simply have nowhere to come from. I estimate the maximum number of tigers in Russia at 300 individuals, including those who live in protected areas.

In the spring of this year, the agency wrote about the preliminary findings of the annual monitoring of the number of tigers. In the Khabarovsk Territory, on lands outside the reserves, they are counted by traces on model sites on the Khor and Matai rivers. The specialist Alexander Batalov, engaged in this, already then missed several "well-known individuals."

- Now a very serious problem is hanging over the tigers - African swine fever (ASF). This disease mows wild boars, and this is the main food for tigers. I am very afraid that this winter, in places where ASF is spread, we may lose almost all tigresses with their cubs. Either females who cannot feed the kittens will abandon them, or they will be forced to go out to settlements to hunt dogs, the expert added.

To cope with this disaster, the expert proposes a temporary moratorium on hunting for all types of ungulates. This will provide an opportunity to restore the numbers of roe deer and red deer, which are an alternative source of food for tigers to wild boars, without additional pressure from humans.

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