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ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)
ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)
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ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)
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Wolverine
I can understand 700~900 only in Primorsky Krai. I think the Siberian tigers were definitely more than 1000 if it was including every Khabarovsk Krai, Primorsky Krai, Amur Krai, and Zabaykalsk Krai. From record, it believed that around 363 km2 area had 4~10 tigers in southern Korea 100 years ago. Is it high tiger density?
I put here two tables of one research about radio-collared Amur tigers. If someone is interested to read it all, it is easy to find using name of it in google search.
(01-06-2019, 05:49 AM)Wolverine Wrote:(01-05-2019, 09:07 PM)Shadow Wrote:Very interesting Shadow. Where did you dig out this paper? If I am not wrong Its written that for the period 1985-1996 in entire RFE totaly 7 tigers have been killed by bears and 4 tigers have been killed by wild boars. But this data is for entire Russian Far East while the paper posted by Peter was only for Sihote Alin state reserve which is unsignificant percentage of Ussuriland teritory. So, there is no any contradiction.(01-04-2019, 08:47 PM)peter Wrote:(01-04-2019, 09:05 AM)Wolverine Wrote: Reason for scavenging of wolf kills by brown bears which probably could be applied for the brown bears and tigers as well: I think, that from WCS Russia. And yes, this was from that time period and about all tigers in Russia, so no contradictions even though some overlapping what comes to timeline. It would be really something if there would have been contradictions when same people participating to both researches :) (01-06-2019, 10:10 AM)Greatearth Wrote:(01-06-2019, 09:49 AM)Wolverine Wrote: I remember that as a child red in Red book of Soviet Union (from 1980's or 1970's) that even in pre-industrial age, before human colonization of RFE Amur tiger's population was assessed at around 700-900, there were never more than 700-900 wild tigers in what is today Russian Ussuriland. Amur tigers have never been numerous. I am not quite sure, that what you mean here. Wolverine seemed to mention current area, where Amur tigers live. Still Amur tigers were in past and in present called Siberian tigers and their current range is only a fraction of it, what it was in past. There were tigers even around lake Baikal, when Russia was still ruled by Csar before Soviet Union. In that time there was for sure much much more, than only 700-900 tigers in Russia. But as Wolverine say, in current range of Amur tigers, that 700-900 could have been number of population back then. We are talking about Amur tigers here, but it could be one discussion, that should it be after all called Siberian tiger so, that people would remember better about what we are talking about. This map is from wikipedia, but it looks to be good enough for this purpose if someone is confused about situation back then in year 1900: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_t...ution3.PNG
When looking at bears in Ussuri area, in 2015 they showed for sure, that there they are. Lack of food makes people and animals behave in unnatural ways.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/s...ngry-bears  (01-07-2019, 08:23 PM)Shadow Wrote: When looking at bears in Ussuri area, in 2015 they showed for sure, that there they are. Lack of food makes people and animals behave in unnatural ways. @Shadow Thanks for information and videos, the Bear they killed looked big and powerful 
I had the idea that tigers originated in a cold climate in China. Tigers in the tropics sometimes appear to be uncomfortably hot and thus spending time soaking in ponds and rivers. Have I been wrong in this assumption?
(01-07-2019, 08:44 PM)epaiva Wrote:(01-07-2019, 08:23 PM)Shadow Wrote: When looking at bears in Ussuri area, in 2015 they showed for sure, that there they are. Lack of food makes people and animals behave in unnatural ways. This is from September 2017, not so far from that other place. I put this here too, but no more only bear news from me here now. Sakhalin island is partially very close to mainland. Maybe some bears even swim from Sakhalin to mainland and vice versa...(?), It´s only 5 kilometers and brown bears are good swimmers. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/o...t-sakhalin Here is news from Finland and photo of a brown bear seen swimming in sea, just if someone is doubting :) https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/201806142201015211
One article about tiger situation in India. Something to think about also when talking about tourism. Also interesting to notice same thing which I have been thinking... quite difficult to get information about tiger mortality in India. How much do we really know about overall situation? And does this same concern about rhinos and elephants... how many poached rhinos and elephants are reported as victims of tigers even if/when poachers have killed adult individuals..... easy to accuse tigers and wipe out real problem from public eye...?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-40579567
From the site posted by Shadow; post #2035. A sad quote: "As thousands of camera-toting tourists go closer and closer into their habitat, the big cats get used to human proximity. This helps poachers get close to the animals and kill them."
AMUR TIGRESS ASKING FOR HUMAN HELP PASSED AWAY
In post 1,985, I wrote about an old wild Amur tigress knocking on the door of a family living in a village not too far from Vladivostok. As help was badly needed, she added a few growls. This picture was taken after she had been darted:  *This image is copyright of its original author In the rahabilitation center, she initially did quite well. Most unfortunately, the recovery was short-lived. The reason was a severe disease. Here's a full report in the 'Siberian Times'. It has new photographs: https://siberiantimes.com/ecology/others/news/sadness-as-tigress-who-came-in-from-wild-to-ask-for-human-help-dies/ MALE AMUR TIGER 'TIKHON' The article in the 'Siberian Times' has a link to a recent article about wild male tiger 'Tikhon', who also said he could do with a bit of help. In order to underline the urgency of his problem, he killed two guard dogs and showed himself when ever possible. The rangers quickly understood and decided for a dart and a taxi to the rehabilitation center. Chances are it was his last trip, as he is at least 15 years of age. Remarkable in today's world. ABOUT INTENTION AND COMMUNICATION Those who work with captive big cats told me communication between humans and animals isn't a one-sided affair. Trainers know how to contact animals, but animals also know how to deliver a message. Most of us know about 'intention' from the dictionary, but in animals everything starts with that. Hunters seldom see animals when out in the forest. This is the reason they like to use dogs. Without their rifle, their attitude changes. Wild animals immediately notice. All tiger hunters saw their largest tiger when they were unarmed. Wild big cats know humans are way more dangerous than any other animal. That's why even experienced biologists and rangers seldom see them. Wild big cats can distinguish between rangers and poachers, but self-preservation always comes first. That's why they prefer to stay out of sight and reach. When attitudes change over time, animals know. Do they respond? In the Russian Far East, the effort to save tigers and leopards is taken seriously by many. Same for habitat conservation. It had an effect. Animals are still poached, but most humans they see are different from poachers. It's more than likely that tigers noticed. They're still invisible, but some individuals apparently do not hesitate to contact humans when in need of help. Apparently, they know how to distinguish between poachers and rangers. A bit over the top? Remember the tigress in Sumatra who left her cub on a trail often used by rangers? She was very close when they found and took her to a rehabilitation center. When they left, she let them know she had been there all the time. Unable to help her cub, she decided to contact humans. Yes, it was a decision. Taken by a wild tigress. A few years ago, a rehabilitation center was created in Primorye. Turned out to be a big assett. My advice would be to add a home for the elderly as well as a hospital. Life out there is tough.
THE FUTURE OF THE AMUR TIGER ACCORDING TO PIKUNOV - PART IV
k - Tiger corridors In Part III of the series, two tiger corridors in Primorskii Krai (one running from south to north in the southeastern part and one running from east to west in the northern part) were discussed. Almost 20 years before Pikunov's article was published, he was interviewed by Bruce G. Marcot about the need of tiger corridors. In a paper prepared for a Web presentation, Marcot discussed the need of tiger corridors in 3 regions: - an east-west corridor between the tip of northeastern China and the Khabarovskii Krai; - a north-south corridor in Primorski Krai between the extreme southeastern districts and the Bikin region, and - an east-west corridor between the northern tip of North-Korea and the eastern tip of northeastern China: http://www.plexusowls.com/PDFs/tiger_corridors.pdf The east-west corridor in the Bikin region was added later. According to Wolverine, a part of this corridor has been realized not so long ago. l - China At the turn of the century (1990-2000), Amur tigers in northeastern China were nearly extinct. The few tigers seen every now and then all came from the southwestern tip of Sichote-Alin. In an effort to change the situation, Chinese, American and Russian biologists decided for cooperation. It had an effect. Not much later, a new reserve (Hunchun Nature Reserve) was created. The Chinese made serious work of snares as well. As the number of snares decreased, the number of tigers increased. Here's a bit more about the program started almost two decades ago (WCS): https://russia.wcs.org/en-us/Projects/China-Russia-Transboundary-Program.aspx Today, however, northeastern China has not, like in 2007, over 80 tigers, but 20-30 only. That number seems to be more or less stable. It's hard to say why the number of tigers in northeastern China is relatively low. In the recent past, tigers migrated between the southwestern tip of Sichote-Alin and and northeastern China. They still do. It could be they prefer the southwestern part of Sichote-Alin because the conditions are better. The behavior of Amur tigers in northeastern China points towards unfavourable conditions. In Sichote-Alin, tigers rarely attack domestic animals. In northeastern China, however, domestic animals are targeted more often. Could point a lack of large ungulates, but there are more factors that need to be considered. Road density, human density, economic development and, last but not least, hunting all have an effect. All in all, it seems northeastern China is just too densely populated to have a stable population of Amur tigers. The decision to create a large new reserve just southwest of the southwestern tip of Sichote-Alin suggests the Chinese agree. Here's a bit more on the new reserve: 2016 - https://news.mongabay.com/2016/09/china-proposes-a-huge-national-park-for-amur-tigers-and-leopards/ 2017 - https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/10074-China-s-big-cats-get-space-to-roam 2018 - https://e360.yale.edu/features/china-carves-out-a-park-for-the-imperiled-siberian-tiger It seems they also made a few decisions on South China tigers (Panthera tigris amoyensis): 2001 - http://www.china.org.cn/english/2001/Jul/16445.htm 2015 - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320714004170 2018 - http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201803/05/WS5a9d00e0a3106e7dcc13fa96.html m - International cooperation Although the efforts in Nepal, India, Thailand and some parts of Indonesia should not be underestimated, the Russians seem to lead the field in the department of information exchange. Here's a few links to interesting reads: 2018 - https://wwf.ru/en/resources/news/amur/amurskiy-tigr-v-tsentre-vnimaniya-ekspertov-iz-8-stran/ 2017 - https://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/fm-wwf/Publikationen-PDF/WWF-Studie-2017-Beyond-the-stripes-web.pdf One more about the introduction of new technology. Also interesting: 2018 - https://medium.com/@WWF/tech-for-tigers-wwf-and-intel-test-ai-technology-for-monitoring-wild-tigers-in-china-2a5c93ece73c n - China II I'm well aware of the problems regarding trafficking, tiger farms, poaching and all the rest of it. It, however, also is a fact the Chinese authorities decided for a number of changes. There will be a new tiger reserve in the central part of southern China and there will be a new large reserve in northeastern China close to Russia. According to Miquelle, this reserve could accomodate up to 75 Amur tigers. It would be a significant contribution to the conservation of Amur tigers, provided they succeed in moving large communities out of the new reserves. A new legal framework to fight poaching is also needed. Same for anti-poaching teams. The conditions to accomodate wild Amur tigers in northeastern China are there. It's also clear that the intention to change the climate regarding wild animals is present. I agree a bit of pressure now and then is needed to assist them realizing their goals in the conservation department, but we have to remember it takes a long time to change a culture. Every step is important.  (01-07-2019, 08:47 PM)brotherbear Wrote: I had the idea that tigers originated in a cold climate in China. Tigers in the tropics sometimes appear to be uncomfortably hot and thus spending time soaking in ponds and rivers. Have I been wrong in this assumption? In fact, it is normally stated that tigers originated from a cold climate for the reason that you explained. However, based in new genetic analysis it seems that the common idea that tiger originated in the north of China/Manchuria it not entirely correct, as it seems that the original steam seems to be from the north of Indochina/south of China region. Other posibility is that the new proposed region was cold but I have not studied the region in the Pleistocene so I am not sure about that. Whatever happen with the origin of the tiger, it is clear that this is a species tide with woods and probably originated in relatively cold regions. (12-25-2018, 07:22 AM)Wolverine Wrote: DHOLE (CUON ALPINUS) AS PART OF AMUR TIGER'S FAUNA COMPLEX Interesting post, Wolverine. This thread has some info on the Indian red dog, but not much on its relative in Manchuria and the Russian Far East. When the forum had just started, however, I posted on a book I found somewhere in Germany. As far as I know, the book was only published in Germany. Chances are, therefore, that most never heard about it. In this post, I'll discuss the book once again. The post includes a number of scans. As the book was written by a German, you need to use the translator. I'll add a few remarks before every scan to help out. 'ROTE WOLFE, WEISSE TIGER' (Red wolves, white tigers) The complete title is 'Rote Wölfe, weiße Tiger - Eine Jägerfahrt durch Schilfmeer und Taiga des fernen Asiens'. It was published in 1952 by the Bonner Buchgemeinde (special publication). The writer, Joseph M. Velter, dedicated the book to the man who was his companion on his travels in Siberia: " ... Meinem Freund und Gefährten Friedrich Wilhelm von Hornberg - zur Erinnerung an fünf siberische Jahre ... ". a - About Joseph M. Velter and his companions Velter, a German adventurer and hunter, traveled with a man called Imquist. Although his family in Canada was very well off, he, like Velter, preferred the outdoors. Three years before they entered Sichote-Alin, Velter and Imquist had found a man in a bad condition somewhere in a forest near the Mongolian border. After he had recovered, Semjon Pawlowitsch Pjetroff, a sturdy Russian with two right hands, never left them. They later learned he had deserted the Imperial Russian Army. Semjon was a crack shot. For those who know about hunting. Velter and Imquist had two five-shot Mannlicher rifles, a Mauser rifle and just under 500 bullits. My guess is they visited Sichote-Alin somewhere in the twenties or, more likely, the thirties of the last century. The trip lasted for about a year. b - The book Velter's book compares to the books of Arseniev, Corbett and Anderson in that it is well-written and interesting from start to finish. It oozes the authenticity typical for those who saw things most others did not. For those not at home in the natural world, the book could seem a bit over the top at times. It isn't. In wild regions, reality is very different from what we consider to be real. If you would try to describe the unknown world you visited, chances are most readers would have a few doubts at times. This could be the reason that people like Arseniev, Corbett, Anderson and Velter decided to focus on accurate descriptions. Velter, like the others mentioned above, takes the reader to an unknown and secretive world. In his day, all continents but Europe and Australia still had regions considered as wild at heart. Sichote-Alin was all but unknown in the western hemisphere. According to Velter, it, apart from a few thousand hunters and trappers in summer, was completely empty and covered with endless, dark forests. If you want to know more about the book, read posts 134 and 135 of this thread. c - Grey and red wolves In your post, Wolverine, you said Amur tigers and grey wolves don't mix. What is known, supports this view. Sysoev '('Amba') wrote about a male tiger hunting wolves. Miquelle also wrote about tigers and wolves. He, like others, concluded tigers seem to push wolves out. This was the main argument their used to convince hunters in Sichote-Alin to protect tigers. You also wrote dholes disappeared when grey wolves invaded Sichote-Alin, suggesting grey wolves push red dogs out. I didn't read anything about grey wolves or dholes Arseniev's book ('Dersu the Trapper'), but Velter's book has a bit more on wolves. Velter visited Lake Shanka and the south-central part of Sichote-Alin in the twenties or thirties of the last century. The region dominated by Lake Shanka had wolves. Same for the central, heavily forested, parts of Primorye. Velter and his companions shot and trapped a number of wolves. One of the wolves shot had a red ground colour. At first, Velter thought the colour was a result of individual variation. He later learned that people in the Russian Far East distinguished between grey and red wolves. Many considered red 'wolves' as a distinct species. They lived in large packs and were as wild as their grey relatives:  *This image is copyright of its original author When Velter was hunting alone, he shot what he thought was a deer or a wild boar. When he saw he had killed a red wolf, he heard other wolves howling. As he felt threatened, he shot again. He missed and decided to run. After some time, he noticed the pack was following him. He decided to climb a tree. Although he thought they were going to starve him, they left next morning:  *This image is copyright of its original author d - Red wolves or dholes The question is if the red 'wolves' could have been dholes. Velter doesn't offer enough to get to a conclusion, but he did say red wolves were considered as a different species in the Russian Far East. He also said they, like grey wolves, lived in large packs and that they were considered as 'wild'. His night in a tree suggests they didn't hesitate to follow humans. As to the relation between tigers, grey wolves and red wolves. According to Velter, grey and red wolves more or less co-existed in the same region. This means the idea of the scientists you referred to has to be rejected. Red wolves, however, did seem to live closer to tigers. One reason is they, like tigers, seemed to prefer forests over more open landscapes. e - Tigers Velter and his companions spent the winter in a deserted hut in Primorye. In spring, they briefly considered capturing a tiger cub. They decided against it, as they didn't want to face an angry tigress. The only young tiger Velter saw was in a depot of a trading frim ('Kunz & Albers') Vladivostok some months later. The cub was shipped to the Natural History Museum of Vienna (Austria). Not long after, they tried to hunt an isjubr (deer). When lying in ambush, they saw a nice buck. Hoping he would come their way, they suddenly heard another buck calling. The buck they saw accepted the challenge and turned their way. Waiting for the right moment to shoot, Velter suddenly noticed that the 'challenger' was a tiger hidden in the undergrowth only fifteen yards away (...). They later learned that old male tigers who had lost their ability to outrush a deer, often used this trick to lure bucks. It didn't work that time. The buck became aware of the tiger and ran, leaving the tiger empty-handed. The tiger left without a sound. As he had been aware of them, they feared an ambush. Velter and his companions decided to fire their rifles in the air to scare the tiger. It had an effect, as the tiger left. According to Velter, the outcome of the chance meeting could have been different. In Nikolsk-Ussurisk, tigers had killed soldiers and people employed by the railroad company quite often. Only few hunted tigers, as they were much feared. The natives, although very able hunters, never hunted tigers. f - Two photographs of Y. Saburo of tiger cub hunters in Romanovka village In the thirties of the last century, Japan invaded China (including Manchuria). A Japanese scientist (Yamazue Saburo) made a few photographs of tiger cubs caught in the period 1938-1941. I selected two. Both were taken in Romanovka village. You can find them on the internet (including a description). In spite of their age, they're in excellent condition. Unique photographs:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
 (01-14-2019, 08:13 AM)peter Wrote: I didn't read anything about grey wolves or dholes Arseniev's book ('Dersu the Trapper'), but Velter's book has a bit more on wolves and dholes. During childhood I have red at least three times Arseniev's book and also don't remember even once to be mentioned any grey wolves, like they were not existing at those times in Ussuriland at all, while remember clear that Arseniev once (only once) mentioned a pack of 4 dholes he saw and once an Amur leopard. Dholes and Amur leopards inhabited only very southern part of Primorskij region, southern Sihote Alin, and it was the very northern border of their areal. In same time Amur tiger could live in much harsher climate of central Sihote Alin and partialy even in northern Sihote Alin mountain range. For sure dholes were never numerous in Russian Ussuriland, but nevertheless their extinction from the area during the 20th century is kind a mystery because they have never been persistently hunted by humans and have inhabited only remote areas. Yes, actually the name of the dhole in Russian is exactly "Red wolf" "[]Красный волк", even this canid is quite distant from the wolf. https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Красный_волк These photos are from safari-park close to Vladivostok:  *This image is copyright of its original author http://vladivostok.travel/en/todo/seaside-safari-park/  *This image is copyright of its original author Grey wolves harassing Ussuri dholes, painting:  *This image is copyright of its original author
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