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

[peter]

PANTHERA TIGRIS ALTAICA - 3 - ON THE EFFECTS OF TOUGH CONDITIONS AND POACHERS

3a - Tough conditions

Winters in the Russian Far East are long and severe. In contrast to many other animals, Amur tigers don't hibernate. This means they often face lean periods in winter. These periods can last for months. When a tiger is faced with a problem that affects its condition, there often will be consequences. At times they perish in the snow, but some also visit villages. Although they prefer sheds, anything is possible.

In January of this year, an emaciated tigress knocked on the door of a house in a village. After the owner had made some calls, help arrived. The tigress was taken to a rehabilitation center, but they couldn't do what was needed because of her bad condition. Sedation was out of the question, but she did respond to extra food. Her future looks bleak, as she lost her canines.

The newspaper report is from February 1, 2018. If you look carefully, you can find two pictures: 

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/badly-injured-tiger-seeks-shelter-on-russian-mans-porch/

Here's a picture of the tigress:

*This image is copyright of its original author

3b - Poachers

- Not too far from Chabarowsk, truckdrivers informed rangers about a tigress they saw on the road. The rangers found her close to the road a little later. As she could hardly move, it was decided to sedate her and move her to a rehabilitation centre near the coast. As she had been wounded by a bullit, surgery couldn't be avoided. Although in her prime (5-6 years of age), she'll need a few months to recover. This happened in late February of March of this year:

https://en.crimerussia.com/gromkie-dela/wwf-another-endangered-amur-tiger-injured/

Here's the injured tigress:

*This image is copyright of its original author

3c - Effects

I selected a few newspaper reports only. In the first, a tigress affected by old age or severe conditions featured. She most probably won't be released. In the second, a tigress targeted by a poacher featured. The poachers from the People's Republic of China most probably also shot a tiger. That's 3 Amur tigers in less than 3 months.  

There are many more reports. As there're 520-540 wild Amur tigers only (including about a 100 cubs), every individual counts. Every casualty has an effect.

I wonder if Amur tigers (or their genes) know they still walk the edge. Here's something of interest. It's about the part on low genetic diversity and Amur tigers behaving as if there're only 27-35 of them left:

https://www.davidchancellor.com/news/amur-tiger-russias-far-east/

3d - A few videos

To finish the post, a vimeo, two videos and a film.

- Some of you might have seen this: https://vimeo.com/117797080 (2014, 10:07)

- Here's a video of a large male recently seen in northeastern China: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEwnfTLDVT4 (03:20)

- Interview with Pavel Fomenko: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/06/150611-tigers-amur-siberian-animals-endangered-science-world/ (2015, 03:07)
 
- 'Amur tiger. The path to the sacred mountain' (Moscow International Film Festival, 2016): http://amur-tiger.ru/en/projects/amurskiy_tigr_pyt_k_svyashennoy_gore/ (52:06) Reply