Amur tiger back in the wild

This video says about itself:

19 June 2015

A three year old Amur tiger has been successfully captured, collared and released into a mountainous region in the Russian Far East. The young male was identified as a ‘conflict tiger’ in a prey depleted area but rather than confining him to a life of captivity, the Russian government opted to give him a second chance. – See more here.

From Wildlife Extra about this:

WWF films tiger being released back to the wild

WWF has filmed an Amur Tiger being released back into the wild after spending time in a wild animal rehabilitation centre in the Russian Far East.

The tiger is a young male called Uporny, who was captured in November 2014 after being identified as a ‘conflict’ tiger.

He had been living in an area where there was a lack of prey and had killed dogs to survive. There were also fears that he could come into conflict with humans in a nearby town.

After undergoing the necessary health checks in a wild animal rehabilitation centre in the Russian Far East, Uporny was released into a sparsely inhabited mountainous area.

Uporny’s new home is an area with a good source of prey. It’s also home to a female Amur tiger, which provides hope that Uporny will not only continue to live wild and free, but also breed – contributing to the recovering tiger population in Russia.

The Russian government Forest Department (Ministry of Natural Resource of Khabarovsky Province) organised and implemented the translocation operation with the help of WWF and the Amur Tiger Center.

“This is a very rare piece of footage, showing the release of a healthy, powerful male tiger back into the wild, where he belongs,” says Rebecca May, Asia Regional Manager at WWF-UK.

“A huge team effort and great expertise was involved, including that of colleagues in WWF Russia. We wish him well in his new home.”

For his release into the wild, the tiger was fitted with a lightweight radio collar. The collar has a special function that allows it to drop off when the tracking team are satisfied with his progress.

Having been flagged as a potential conflict tiger, Uporny will be monitored until he is well established in his new area. For the first month, a team of specialists will be tracking his location and eating habits on a constant basis, using GPS data sent from the collar as well as tracking him on the ground.

Once the collar detaches, he will be monitored using camera traps and the recording of his pugmarks.