Amur tiger back into the wild

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This video, recorded in Russia, is called Protecting the Siberian Tiger’s Last Home.

From Wildlife Extra:

Amur tiger released back into the wild

Rescued as a 5 month old cub, tiger released into Bastak Nature Reserve

May 2013. There is some great news from the Russian Far East; the tiger cub that The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) and TigerTime supporters rallied to help has been released back into the wild. On May 9, 2013, the young tigress, who had been found orphaned in 2012, was returned back to the wild in Bastak Nature Reserve, Jewish Autonomous Province.

Cinderella, as the tigress is now known, weighing a healthy 94 kg, was very active and it took more than two hours before the specialists could immobilize her with a tranquillizer dart. They checked her teeth, took her temperature, blood and other samples to test for disease, before transporting her to Bastak Nature Reserve.

600 mile drive

After an 18 hour, 600 mile, drive Cinderella’s trailer was hitched to a cross-county vehicle to take the tigress and tiger specialists to the Upper Bastak River release site. Upon arrival the specialists first checked an automatic remote control on the trailer door and the radio-locating system, instructed everyone around on safety rules and then opened the door. After a three second pause, the tigress jumped out of the trailer and disappeared into thick forest.

Specialists of the A.N Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Inspection Tiger and Wildlife Conservation Society are monitoring Cinderella’s movements with the use of radio telemetry and have already received the first signals from her radio collar. She is moving towards the area where the presence of an adult male tiger has been recorded and the scientists are hopeful that soon a new tiger couple will find each other. Bastak Nature Reserve has plenty of food and is a protected area ensuring the best possible chance for peace and good protection for Cinderella.

“The Phoenix Fund has been concerned about Cinderella’s future since the first days the tigress was found. We, together with International Fund for Animal Welfare, decided to assist in her rehabilitation process,” says Sergei Bereznuk, Director of the Phoenix Fund. “We would like to thank all the people who responded to our call for help. Donations came from all parts of Russia and from abroad including our TigerTime and DSWF supporters in the UK. And, thanks to the professionalism of specialists of the Rehabilitation Centre for Rare Species, we think Cinderella is ready for a new stage in her life. At this very exciting moment we hope that it will not take her long time to get settled in her new home, and that she will increase the wild tiger population by giving birth to young in the future.”

Found in February 2012 at just 5 months old

Cinderella’s story began in February 2012, when people found the young orphaned tigress in freezing conditions on the territory of Borisovskoye hunting lease. She was unable to survive for long on her own. She was then approximately 5-6 months old and was so exhausted that she could be easily handled. Her foreleg and tail were frostbitten. According to the vets, if the female tiger had not been rescued that day, she would have died the next. The cub weighed up to 16 kilograms (35 lbs). After a three-week quarantine the young tigress was transported to the Rehabilitation Centre for Rare Species located in Alekseevka village, Primorsky krai, the construction of which was made possible thanks to the financial support from Russian Geographical Society. At the centre Cinderella was under constant control of veterinarians and specialists of Inspection Tiger and A.N Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution.

Please help David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation to support these orphans and their work for tigers in Russia through their projects TigerTime and their Russia Project.

November 2013: Conservation of the Amur (otherwise known as Siberian) tiger and the Far Eastern (also Amur) leopard in Russia has taken a step forward with President Vladimir Putin signing a list of preservation instructions proposed by WWF Russia and other NGOs: here.

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