ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

Options

peter

Co-owner of Wildfact

2,611 Replies

34 Topics

Joined: Mar 2014

Reputation: 52

#2,694

12-03-2023, 05:25 PM

ABOUT THE SIZE OF WILD AMUR TIGERS TODAY - I

1 - Introduction

When the discussion about the size of today's wild Amur tigers started, I decided to go over everything I have in order to get to a few tables. This will take a bit of time, as I have a lot of books, articles and papers that have information about the size of Amur tigers. The main problem is to find the information, as it's everywhere. Another problem is I want to distinguish between wild tigers, captive tigers caught in the Russian Far East at a young age and tigers born in captivity. The reason I decided for different categories is there could be differences at the level of averages.

2 - Guate

In the weeks that followed (referring to the first paragraph), you posted more than once in this thread. As I was addressed in every post, I felt obliged to respond. Writing a post, at least for me, usually takes time. This is especially true if the post I respond to has suggestions of a dubious nature, incorrect conclusions and remarks with an insultive character. In order to give you an idea of what I mean, I decided for a few examples. All examples are from your last two posts.

In the first of your last two posts, you suggested I could be participating in 'versus debates' with members of other forums. Not so. I only post at Wildfact. At the end of that post, you suggested I'm not properly reading your posts. This, again, is not the case. That's still apart from quite a few direct or indirect dismissive remarks about my interest in interactions between tigers and bears in the Russian Far East, and the decision to inform our members and readers about this topic. It resulted in what I consider to be an attempt to lecture me. Lecture someone with a degree, Guate?

In your last post, you say this thread is developing into a shady back alley where those present indulge in versus debates about " ... silly topics ... " (like interactions between Amur tigers and bears in the Russian Far East). You also suggest many posts about this topic are not based on good information, sound reasoning and logic, meaning they have a " ... sensationalist ... " character. One that compares to the character of most 'versus debates' at other forums. Forums like, for instance, Carnivora.

In between these suggestions and insultive remarks, no opportunity is wasted to severely criticise those involved in the discussion. As only two, aprt from you, participate, the conclusion is these remarks are directed at Apex and yours truly. On top of that, you suggest these two cooperate in order to produce "... dirty ... ''  posts to create " ... havoc ... " . Right at the end, you also suggest members have been " ... banned for no reason ... ". As you apparently expect a similar fate, you, depending on my response, suggested you'll most probably leave the forum in the near future.

All in all, I can only conclude you apparently got to a decision some time ago. A pity, but I have no option but to accept the outcome.

3 - The Anyuysky National Park

In December last year (2022), I tried to find a bit more about the Anyuysky National Park. The main reason was quite a few sites about conservation in the Russian Far East had disappeared in 2022. Same for a number of videos.

It took me a lot of time to find the site of the organisation that manages the Anyuysky National Park. I'm referring to 'The Federal State Butgetary Institution Reserved Amur Region'. The site had a news archive with quite a few reports that had interesting information about the 8 national parks and reserves managed by this organisation. The news archive started in 2015 and, as far as I know, ended in December 2022.

I read all reports. Most reports in which tigers feature were written by Alexey Gotvansky. They had a lot of information about the Anyuysky National Park in particular. The main reason was this national park, not one of the largest, had a relatively large population of tigers. In the Russian Federation, tigers have some status. The reason is the Amur tiger is an endangered (Red Data) animal. Tigers in the Anyuysky National Park, Gotvansky noted time and again, were thriving in the period 2015-2022. I made notes and visited the site more than once in that month (December 2022).

When the discussion about the size of wild Amur tigers started almost a year later, I reread my notes and posted some of the information. I referred to the source, but didn't post scans of the reports I had read. The result was questions. Guate wasn't the only one who asked for 'proof'; Apex also asked me to post the reports. In order to deliver what was asked for, I revisited the site. As I had feared, it was gone.

When I searched the net, however, I found 'New data on the distribution of sika deer (Cervus nippon, Temminck, 1838) in the Lower Amur Region'. It was published in the Amurian Zoological Journal, Volume 15, No. 1 (2023). The authors were Antonov (AL), Pronkevich (VV) and Gotvansky (AV). That means Gotvansky still was employed by the 'Federal State Butgetary Institution Joint Directory of State National Reserves and National Parks of the Khabarovsk Territory Reserved Amur Region, branch Anyuysky'.

Armed with the new information, I again searched the net. Again, I came up empty.

However.

In December 2022, after reading all reports, I decided to print the reports with information about Amur tigers living in the Anyuysky National Park. They were printed in Dutch, because a young man wanted to use them for a speech at school (...). The speech was much appreciated and I was happy because I had printed unique information.

Early this year, my PC was replaced by a new one. When I, a few weeks ago, tried to scan prints of reports I considered interesting, I failed. The reason is the new PC uses a different system to scan images. As I didn't master it yet, I need help from a friend. Unfortunately, he's been floored by a disease. As it'll take him quite some time to recover, I'm unable to deliver the information I have at the moment. I hope the situation will be different in a few weeks from now.

All in all, I printed 67 reports about tigers (and other topics I considered interesting). Not a few of them have information about the 'heel width' of tigers. The reason, I think, was Gotvansky often was amazed at the size of the prints he found. I don't think it's superfluous to underline once again he wasn't referring to the width of the print of the front paw, but to the width of the heel of the front paw.

Gotvansky also wrote a few reports about the male tiger that attracted a lot of attention. This tiger, known as 'The Beast', is no more, but the reports I read have a few photographs of him. His heel width, at 13,5 cm, was quite exceptional. Gotvansky, for this reason, thought it was the largest tiger in the national park by a margin, but the prints he later saw suggest he wasn't. At least, not in the heel width department.

4 - Video

I recently found a short video (Phoenix Fund) about the Anyuysky National Park. It was shot in the part that, a few years ago, had a number of males leaving exceptional prints:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N1S8Pvh5O0

5 - About the character of Amur tigers and a few observations made in the past

In 2010, 'The tiger - A true story of vengeance and survival' was published. Not long after I had read it, I contacted Miquelle. One of the questions was about Vaillant's book. He said it was a great book based on good research, but didn't agree with all of Vaillant's observations (referring to the tiger's capacity to hold a grudge and act on it). Others, however, had a different opinion. Here's a few interesting quotes:

" ... For more than fifteen years, both men (referring to Miquelle and Goodrich) have been living and working in Terney, on the east coast of Primorye, and, over the years, they have caught, sedated, examined, and collared dozens of tigers, some of them numerous times. Despite the fact that both of these men have spent years in these tigers' territories, there have been no cases of tiger vengeance. "As a biologist, I have a hard time believing it", explained Miquelle when asked about such behaviour, "but as a type of myth and local perspective on tigers I find it intriguing". "If tigers are vengeful", said Goodrich, "I should be dead" ... " ('The tiger', pp. 159).

" ... Sergey Boyko, however, wasn't so surprised (referring to what happened to Markov), and this may be because he knows what it is to run afoul of a tiger. "Another hunter and me, we once took some of a tiger's kill", he began. "We didn't take it all because you can't take everything. It's a law in the taiga: you have to share. But when we came to check the next day, the tiger hadn't touched what we left for him. After that, we couldn't kill anything: the tiger destroyed our traps, and he scared off the animals that came to our bait. If any animal got close, he would roar and everyone would run away. We learned the hard way. That tiger wouldn't let us hunt for an entire year. I must tell you," Boyko added, "the tiger is such an unusual animal: very powerful, very smart, and very vengeful" ..." ('The tiger', pp. 158).

Vaillant adds:

" ... Boyko's experience is not unique. The Amur tiger's territoriality and capacity for sustained vengeance, for lack of a better word, are the stuff of both legend and fact. What is amazing - and also terrifying about tigers - is their capacity for what can only be described as abstract thinking. Very quickly, tiger can assimilate new information - evidence, if you will - ascribe it to a source, and even a motive, and react accordingly ... " ('The tiger', pp. 156).

Here's a bit more from someone 'in the know':

" ... Vladimir Schetinin, the former head of Inspection Tiger, and an expert on tiger attacks, has accumulated a number of stories ... over the past thirty years. "There are at least eight cases my team and I investigated", he said in March 2007. "And we all arrived at the same conclusion: if a hunter fired a shot at a tiger, that tiger would track him down, even if it took him two or three months. It is obvious that tigers will sit and wait specifically for the hunter who has fired shots at them" ... " ('The tiger', pp. 158).

In the end, after talking to biologists, hunters, locals and those who know about attacks, Vaillant concluded:

" ... It is not known if tigers are capable of distinguishing between humans who intentionally cause them pain and injury, and humans who trap them and manipulate them but release them into their home territory unharmed. Because of this, there is no tidy way to reconcile these different views, all of which are based on extensive firsthand experience. In the end, it may simply come down to context and character - of all concerned. This, and the fact that, as Miquelle puts it, " What tigers usually do, and what they can do, are very different things ... " ('The tiger', pp. 159).

And what about captive tigers? Here's a bit more about the experience of a vet:

" ... Chris Schneider, an American veterinarian based in Washington state, has had personal experience with the tiger's capacity for holding a grudge. Over the course of his career, Schneider has treated many circus animals, including tigers, sometimes giving them sedatives in the form of a painful shot in the rump. A year might go by before these tigers passed through town again, nonetheless, the moment he showed up, their eyes would lock on him. "I'd wear different hats; I'd try to disguise myself", Schneider explained, "but when I'd walk up into the room, the cat would just start following me, turning as I walked around them. It was uncanny". He described the impact of these tigers' gaze as "piercing". "They looked right through you: a very focused predator. I think most of these cats would have nailed me if they could have ... " ('The tiger', pp. 158-159).

I don't think it's superfluous to add Miquelle and Goodrich were interviewed in 2007 or thereabout. In the period 1992-2007, no biologists had been attacked by tigers that had walked into a footsnare. A few years later, however, the situation changed. At least two biologists have been attacked by male tigers that had walked into an Aldrich footsnare. A few years later, a Russian biologist was attacked when he suddenly found himself between a tigress and her cub. They lived in different cages, meaning the tigress had to break out of the cage in order to get to the biologistn (..). I don't know if these incidents had an effect, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn opinions of researchers about tigers changed. If you want to know a bit more, my advice is to read 'The snare for tiger' (2012) or to contact Miquelle or Aramilev.

Returning to the topic discussed. Here's a bit more from other regions.

In 1856, 'Untersuchungen über die Verbreitung des Tigers Felis tigris und seine Beziehungen zur Menschheit' (Brandt, JF) was published. It was discussed in this thread some years ago. Brandt studied old writings and found a lot of information about the character and behaviour of wild tigers.

In old Chinese encyplopedia, it was stated tigers were considered as courageous and able to turn the tables on hunters, either outsmarting or ambushing them. Many centuries later, Umanz (1846) wrote hunters following a tiger were often wounded or killed when they failed to kill the object of their desire.

In Greek writings, Brandt found information about tigers living near the Indus river. Philostratus, for example, wrote tigers living in reed beds close to the river were often robbed of their young. Tigresses not seldom tried to recover them in neighbouring villages. When they didn't succeed, they roared at the shore of the Erythraic lakes and sometimes even died.

In Roman times, Sotinus wrote Hyrcanian tigers had firm characters and adored their young. All attempts to train them failed.

In the southern part of Siberia, females with cubs often were harassed by Kirgisians. One tigress robbed of her cubs retaliated. She attacked a village of the Sadyr-Motai tribe in broad daylight, killed four and wounded many more before she was shot. Karelin took her skin to the Moscow Natural History Museum.

Old writings more or less confirm what hunters experienced in the 19th and 20th century in different regions (not only referring to what used to be British India). Most of those also interested in local culture noticed tigers were considered as courageous, headstrong and dangerous animals not afraid to confront humans. Although man-eaters were uncommon in most regions, many hundreds of thousands of humans have been killed by tigers over the centuries.

6 - About the character of tigers in Java and Sumatra

Although dangerous is different from vindictive, Brandt found strong evidence of tigers turning the tables on those who hunted or robbed them. The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) in particular had a reputation in this respect, but you can find a lot more about tigers turning the tables on those who hunted or robbed them in 'Frontiers of fear' (Boomgaard, 2001) and 'Het verbond met de tijger' (Bakels, 2000).

Remember the newspaper report about poachers treed by tigers in Atjeh, Sumatra some years ago? Really happened. A young tiger, unintentionally (according to the poachers), was trapped in a snare. Adult tigers found those responsible and harassed and threatened them. In the end, the poachers decided to climb a tree. They were kept there for a number of days.

Indonesia, as you may remember, was a Dutch colony. When it became independent, many Dutch (as well as Indonesians) were forced to leave. Some settled in Amsterdam. I got to know some of them quite well. In their homes, I saw photographs, skins, skulls and paintings. I also heard many stories from people who had lived in tiger country for most of their life. Stories some of us would dismiss as 'sensationalistic', but all of them, as far as I could see, were true.

About fifteen years ago, I visited a man who lived in a small city close to the German border. At age 88, still in great shape, he talked about Javan and Sumatran tigers for many hours. Quality information. When I left, he offered me his book 'Wilde katten' (in Dutch only and published in the early sixties of the last century). In the years he was writing and doing research, he visited many hunters and biologists in the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech republic (back then still united with Slovakia). Not a few of them still have a reputation. Did they have information about the way tigers and humans interacted in Indonesia and other regions in southeast Asia? The answer is affirmative. Did they think adult wild tigers can be 'vindictive' when they're harassed, hunted, robbed or wounded? They most certainly did and added a grudge always is very specific (personal).

7 - About captive tigers

Those involved in circuses offered me the opportunity to watch big cats for hours. They had a lot of specific knowledge about individuals, but also saw differences between species. A vet working for private facilities often invited me when he had a job. The tigers obviously knew about him (and acted accordingly), but they also distinguished between him and others.

These facilities also were a hotspot for those who had been involved in training. I interviewed many and asked them if they thought tigers were capable of deductions and grudges. All trainers confirmed the conclusion Vaillant got to.

Some of the trainers I interviewed introduced me to the director of what used to be a famous training facility in the Netherlands. I wrote him a letter and got answers to questions debated at many forums. Later, I was invited by vets and biologists working for zoos and private facilities. I heard about many incidents and concluded experienced cats, and tigers in particular, were involved in what I would describe as 'abstract thinking'. Meaning I agree with the conclusion of Vaillant (see above).

8 - About Dr. P. van Bree and a few others

About a quarter of a century ago, I contacted Dr. P. van Bree, conservator of the former Zoological Museum of Amsterdam. In contrast to most of his collegues, van Bree was friendly. He told me how to measure skulls and presented interesting papers and articles every time I went to see him. Dr. van Bree was born and raised in Sumatra and heard many stories about tigers wounded by hunters and locals. Not seldom, tigers retaliated. Members of forest tribes, for this reason, kept their distance.

Dr. van Bree also opened doors of natural history museums. One day, I was contacted by the conservator of a well-known museum. He wanted me to see a few skulls said to be from Bali and offered me the opportunity to measure all skulls he had. The labels I saw had a lot of interesting information about the former owner of the skull. Some tigers, to be more precise, were shot after they had harassed, wounded or killed locals. Not seldom, these attacks were a result of what Vaillant would no doubt perceive as vindictiveness. After I had visited a number of natural history museums, I was contacted by people involved in official measurements, skull preparation and auctions. They wanted me to determine a number of skulls without labels. Some of them had been (tiger) hunters themselves. They too confirmed wounded tigers not seldom followed and visited those responsible.

After Wildfact was created, I was contacted by biologists who had studied wild big cats. I also talked to those involved in documentaries and conservation in little known regions just before tigers completely disappeared from these regions. That's without the very distinguished man who invited me for a drink during a visit to a natural history museum. Although close to a century (...), he was one of the best-informed I met. I don't know how he knew about me, but I decided to use the opportunity to ask a few questions. Every question was met with a big smile. He said I would most probably never see the large skulls he saw (most are in private collections), but encouraged me to continue in spite of that. He confirmed what others told me about the character of adult wild tigers. Did I tell you about the biologists I visited? We talked for days about what we considered to be the essence of big cats. Every biologist had personal experience with (captive) big cats. Time and again, I noticed they had been very careful in the presence of tigers in particular. For good reasons, I later found.

9 - About interacting and consequences

One could say I did my best to learn a few things about tigers and be close. Like you, Guate, I trained my brain from day one. I use it at all times, but know there's a difference between this tool and what I consider to be the essence of an individual. My real 'brain' is instinct and the ability to see, and feel, what is lurking behind words. A result of the way I was raised and experience.

Over the years, I noticed the world is loaded with people who think they're quite knowledgeable. The better the education, the stronger the tendency to show their 'ability'. One thing that sets those nursing this specific 'ability' apart is their urge to tell others how to live their life.

I don't mind you using peer-reviewed documents as road maps during debates, but I do mind you telling me what topics have to be discussed in the thread I started. I also don't want you to 'inform' me about the 'best' methods to get to good information and which methods will yield the best results. Furthermore, I don't like you dismissing, ridiculing and insulting other members. Same for insinuations (referring to your remark about " ... dirty games ... " in your last post).

As to your 'enemy' Apex. You know he's interested tigers and bears. I offered him the opportunity to inform those sharing his interest. My interest in the way tigers and bears interact isn't a result of what you described as a 'silly' drive to participate in 'versus debates', but of genuine interest. I want to know in what way large wild predators interact with competitors and humans and I also want to know why they act as they do. Are their decisions and actions a result of instinct or is there a bit more to it?

I think Apex did a good job, but it seems I'm one of the few. The question is why those who have a different opinion act(ed) as they do (did). What I saw suggests it could have been a result of preference mainly. A bit strange, as the information he posted was confirmed by many considered to be 'in the know'. Biologists today agree Amur tigers hunt bears up to the size of an adult female brown bear, especially in summer and autumn. Most of those interested in bears, however, think an adult male tiger is no match for a large male brown bear, but recent information suggests this is not quite the case. That doesn't mean the opposite is true. It means the outcome of a confrontation between adult males of both species depends. On the individuals involved, the conditions, the specific reasons and, perhaps, the season. In the end, one would expect a kind of balance between both species as tigers and bears have been living in close proximity for a long time in the Russian Far East. Without humans, it's very likely both would still thrive.

A 'silly' topic, Guate? I think reliable observations about the way large predators and competitors (including humans) interact in natural conditions are far from silly. We know in what way lions and other predators interact on the African plains, but there isn't a lot of information about the way tigers and their competitors interact. The reason is tigers are elusive animals living in forested regions. Local people, hunters and biologists (referring to the Russian Far East in particular) often know a few things, but their knowledge never reached the general public. Heptner and Sludskij ('Die Säugetiere der Sowjet-Union', 1980) removed part of the veil covering the Russian Far East and so, to a degree, did Mazak ('Der Tiger', 1983), but the Siberian Tiger Project in particular resulted in a lot of good information.

Not all questions, however, were answered. This is the reason (hypothetical) interactions between tigers and bears were discussed at many forums for quite some time. Apex, as far as I know, didn't join these discussions when they started. His aim was to find information that hadn't reached those involved in articles and peer-reviewed documents. Like any good journalist, he invested time, added sources and tried to find confirmation of what he found. When he thought he was ready to answer a few questions, he joined a number of debates. Unfortunately, they didn't like him at Carnivora. They also don't like him over here. Time and again, those involved in preference tried to discredit him and every time they did I supported him. In the end, it resulted in a flow of what I consider to be interesting information and although not all members agreed, readers seemed to appreciate his contributions. We really had more views when Apex started posting about interactions tigers and bears.

Did the problems, as you suggested, result in bans? No. Those involved in problems that erupted when Apex started often left themselves. I'm not only referring to some mods, but also to a few others. A pity, but that's life.

10 - Future

As most questions in the department of interactions between tigers and bears in the Russian Far East, to a degree, have been answered, the time has arrived to move on. Before I do, my aim is to scan, and post, the reports from Gotvansky about tigers in the Anyuysky National Park I referred to earlier. Might take a bit of time, but it will happen. The main reason I want to post scans of the reports is not the width of the heel of some male tigers in the national park, but the interesting observations of a man who knows the Anyuysky National Park and it's tigers inside out.

11 - Wildfact

Over here, as you well know, we have rules. Most are about respect. Members ignoring rules and mods will be warned. No exceptions. After the barrage of incorrect conclusions, poisonous suggestions and personal insults, you most certainly earned one. With distinction, I may add. Also meaning I don't mind you trying your luck elsewhere.

That, however, doesn't mean you'll be banned. You are a longtime member able to produce decent posts, meaning you earned a bit of credit. It's up to you, that is. But remember I don't want to respond to posts that result in animosity anymore. Informationwise, they're empty by nature. I take your posts serious, but it often takes days to respond. My aim is to invest my time in something I consider interesting.

12 - About the size of wild Amur tigers

I said I would contribute in this department and I will, but I need time to get there. There is good information about the size of wild Amur tigers, but it's everywhere. You know it took me a long time to produce the tables with information about the size of captive Amur tigers. I'm not saying I need as much time to get to tables with information about their wild relatives, but it will be a slow process.

I did notice something of interest in your last post. I'm referring to recent information about tigers captured in the southern districts of Primorye. The information suggests they could be a bit heavier than their relatives captured in the Sichote-Alin Biosphere Reserve (and its surroundings) in the period 1992-2004. Remarkable if we consider the posts in which you strongly opposed those who suggested there could be regional differences in size (...).

The question, of course, is if the difference is a result of coincidence, sample size or time. As to the last factor. The number of wild Amur tigers is still growing and it's likely a larger population will produce more outlyers if the conditions remain favourable. I wonder if proximity to humans (and roads in particular) is a factor.

The information I have suggests that tigers shot in Manchuria in the recent past could have been a bit larger than those shot in other regions. The two largest skulls Mazak measured belonged to tigers shot in Manchuria. Jankowski ('The tiger's claw') also suggested tigers in northern China were larger than elsewhere. Same, to a degree, for Baikov.

Apart from one article published in an American magazin in the fifties of the last century ('The opium tiger'), there's, as far as I know, no information about (the size of) tigers in the Khabarovsk Territory. Some of those who had the opportunity to get to an opinion said the northwestern districts of the Khabarovsk Territory had the largest tigers, but not one male was ever captured. Our former mod 'Wolverine' posted a photograph of a large male on a road and Gotvansky measured a number of prints he considered exceptional in the Anyuysky National Park, but that's about it. Meaning I don't think we'll be able to answer the question if tigers in the Khabarovsk Territory are different from those in Primorye and northeastern China any time soon.

Alexey Gotvansky, by the way, also was in the famous Bolsjhekhtsirsky Reserve (close to Khabarovsk) every now and then. The heel width of prints left by adult males ranged between 10-12 cm (in 2013, the reserve had a male with a heel width of 13 cm) and in prints left by females it ranged between 8-10 cm. In prints left by young adult males about 3 years of age, the heel width seldom exceeded 10 cm. Using heel width as an indicator, the differences between male tigers in the Bolshekhtsirsky Reserve and those living in the Anyuysky National Park are remarkable.

All prints, to be sure, were measured by Alexey Gotvansky. In a report from February 2020, Gotvansky wrote he saw a print with a heel width of 15 cm. In July of that year, he found a print of a 'monster tiger' (heel width 16 cm). A few weeks later, he wrote he saw prints left by a female (heel width 9 cm) and a print left by the male he mentioned a few weeks earlier.

It was in the territory of this male that a wild boar was killed after a 20-minute fight close to the village of Arsenyevo. Gotvansky later concluded the boar most probably was killed by a young male, as an adult male would have finished the fight very quickly. The boar, by the way, was an adult female (Gotvansky found the piglets not long after the fight). In that year (2020), crews from different countries visited the Anyuysky National Park to film tigers. Hafner's team was there as well. In a report of October 30, 2022, Gotvansky wrote he again saw prints of the 'monster tiger' near the Pikhtsa river.

In a report of May 27, 2021, Gotvansky wrote about a new 'very large' male that settled near the Kiya river. Two other 'gigantic' males lived close to the Nilo Channel and the Tormasu river. In late April, he (again) found the remains of a Himalayan black bear that had been killed by a 'large' male tiger near the Solomi river. In a report of July 22, 2021, one of the cameratraps produced photographs of 'The Beast' and the 'very large' old male brown bear hugging the same tree. It resulted in the famous photograph of both hugging the same tree. Gotvansky more than once emphasized the size of both animals. As he was familiar with both and knew the location of the tree, it's likely his estimate of both animals standing on their hind legs (about three meters) was quite accurate. The problem, of course, is it's not known if he referred to the height of the claw marks or the height of the head.

You no doubt noticed Gotvansky's descriptions showed he was amazed by the prints left by some male tigers in the Anyuysky National Park. Remember he had quite few years of experience and must have seen his fair share of tigers.

As to the tiger known as 'The Beast'. After reading all reports, the conclusion is Gotvansky thought this male was the largest in the Anyuyskjy National Park in 2020 and 2021. The liner notes in the famous photograph showing him in the snow said he had a heel width of 13,5 cm. The question is if the prints of 15 and 16 cm were left by him or by other males. I'm not sure, but I do know the Anyuysky National Park attracted many tigers in all seasons. Most of them were males and some of them, sizewise, compared to 'The Beast'. As the print with a heel width of 16 cm was measured in summer and autumn, it's unlikely the size was affected by weather conditions.

One more remark to finish the post. Gotvansky's reports suggest tigers living in the Anyuysky National Park and it's surroundings could be a bit different from those in neighbouring reserves and national parks. The Anyuysky National Park apparently was a hotspot for tigers, meaning the conditions, as Gotvansky wrote, must have been favourable. This conclusion is supported by the video (above) in that many animals did not seem to be afraid of humans. These days, that's quite remarkable.

This, however, doesn't mean tigers are safe at all times. In one winter alone, three perished in road accidents. One of them was a tigress that seemed to have lost her fear of humans. The photograph shows a massive animal, but that could have been a result of the conditions (it was winter). In April 2021, a male was found floating in a river close to Arsenyevo. State Inspectors got him out and sent the body to Ussuriysk for an autopsy. The incident made headlines and a criminal case was started. Gotvansky added another male was shot (in the leg and stomach) by a poacher, but that animal made a full recovery. It took him about two years though (...).

Furthermore, there were problems in the food department. As a result of a disease, wild boars were decimated. In 2022, the effects were still felt by the tigers in Anyuysky. In the Russian Far East, tigers, even tigresses with cubs, often follow wild boars for a prolonged period of time. When wild boars are decimated or disappear completely, tigers have to find alternatives. According to Gotvansky, tigers had to walk a lot more. Same for tigresses with cubs. As a result, cubs were left on their own for long periods of time. Quite many starved to death. Adult tigers, however, were not affected. Even in lean years, the Anyuysky National Park had a lot of tigers.

The national park is situated in a remote district. As it's protected, visitors need a permit to enter. Gotvansky's reports suggest most tigers visiting the national park were males. In spite of the density, Gotvansky never found evidence of serious conflicts. I'm not sure, but my guess is the ability to live close to other males could have been a result of experience. That and good conditions (plenty of prey animals anf few humans). Maybe age also was the reason the Anyuysky National Park had quite many large males in the period 2015-2022 (tigers keep growing for a long time).

EDIT I

In a report of November 11, 2015, it was stated prints of a tiger had been found in the Federal Reserve 'Oldzhikansky', situated about 300 km north of the Anyuysky National Park (...). A day later, the head of the Federal Butgetary Institution 'Reserved Amur Region', Valentin Kozlovsky, during his vacation, found the prints, about a day old. At first, he thought they had been left by a bear (the heel width was 14,5 cm), but he quickly discovered a large male tiger had visited the remote district. Kozlovsky wrote the prints were 'very impressive', but he feared the tiger, still moving northwest, would soon face problems. The reason was the Nikolaev region, often visited by poachers, had few prey animals. In a second report about the tiger (November 27, 2015), Kozlovsky wrote the tiger was still heading north, to the district of Tuguro-Chuminansky. As a result of his remarkable trip, the 'Nikolaev tiger', as he was known, made headlines.

I remember a video about a male tiger seen in a remote district in the Khabarovsk Krai about a year ago. I don't know if it's the same male, but it's well-known male tigers walk a lot. At times, they're seen hundreds of miles from the nearest reserve or national park.

EDIT II

Here's the famous photograph of the male leaving a print with a heel width of 13,5 cm ('The Beast'). He disappeared in the 2022 winter and, as far as I know, was never seen again: