First winter in the wild starts for Putin's tigers

BLAGOVESHCHENSK, December 1. /TASS/. The Amur tigers released by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May are enjoying their first winter in the wild hunting wolves and bears in the Amur Region, Russia's Far East, a local environmental official said on Monday. When the tigers tagged with tracking devices leave their hunting areas, environmentalists will examine them to get information on the condition and diet of rare felines, the official said. Kuzya, Borya and Ilona are three of the five tiger cubs found in the Far-Eastern taiga some two years ago. The cubs were taken to a special rehabilitation centre and later released into the wild The Siberian tiger, also known as Amur tiger, is on the Red List of Threatened Species. In 2010, Russia launched a national strategy to protect the Siberian tiger, the largest of the five tiger species. According to World Wildlife Fund, some 450 Siberian tigers left on the planet. Read more