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

[peter]

TWO WILD AMUR TIGRESSES PHOTOGRAPHED IN 2016

The two pictures below are from the Russian project ('The Amur Tiger Programme'). The first tigress seems to be marking her territory. S.Y. Park, who was 5 years in Amur tiger country, thought Amur tigers use fresh snow to hunt. The cubs he saw playing in front of his hide also enjoyed fresh snow. This tigress below seems to be in prime condition: 

*This image is copyright of its original author

The tiger featuring in the second picture isn't a male, but a tigress. She has 2 cubs (at the back). When the picture was taken (camera trap, I assume), they seemed to be doing great:

*This image is copyright of its original author

At the moment, there are about 500-540 wild Amur tigers (immatures included). It's quite an achievement if you realise that they live in a region that has 60 000 hunters. The Russians stepped up legislation and protection and it seems to have an effect.

The aim is 500 adult Amur tigers in a few years from now. This goal, according to D. Pikunov (see the previous post), can only be achieved if two new protected zones (about 50 000 square km. in total) will be added to the 160 000 square km. Amur tigers have now. If his proposal is adopted, Amur tigers will have over 200 000 square km. at their disposal in the near future. A huge investment, but it seems to pay. 

Political will and commitment are key factors for protection and it starts at the top. It is a fact that Putin has shown a keen interest in wildlife in general and Amur tigers in particular. At the moment, Russia, although severely hit by low returns for oil and sanctions, is one of the most successful countries in the department of tiger protection.   

The aim for now is 500 adult Amur tigers in 2022. If they succeed, this means there will be about 650-800 wild Amur tigers of all ages. This seems to be the limit in Russia for now. I don't know how the Chinese are doing, but as the northeastern part of China (Jilin) apparently has breeding Amur tigers, one has to assume they are trying to keep up with the Russians.

If everything works out as planned, there could be about a 1000 (most probably a bit less) wild Amur tigers in 2022. This means 200-250 adult males. Not quite enough to produce an average that compares to the average of a century ago (about 475 pounds), but enough to see a few very large individuals every now and then.

The Russians use heel width as an indicator of size. The width of the heel of an average adult male (ranging between 160-200 kg.) is 10-11,5 cm. A big male (over 200 kg.) has a heel width of 11,5-12,5 cm. A male over 200 kg. is quite something today. 

And how about the giants seen occasionally a century ago? At least one male has a heel width of 13 cm. I don't know if they have seen him, but I do know those in the know were amazed. One day, they will release a picture of this giant. Reply