Next-generation Siberian tigers to breed in wild

China is planning to let artificially-bred next-generation Siberian tigers to breed in the wild, a leading breeding center for the endangered species announced Tuesday.

A seven-year-old tiger gave birth to a female cub on July 25, 2011, which was the first successful breeding of a Siberian tiger in the wild in China.

"This cub, now one and a half years old, will play the leading role in the wild breeding plan of the next-generation tigers," said Liu Dan, chief engineer of the Heilongjiang Siberian Tiger Garden.

The center is the world's largest breeding facility for Siberian tigers.

The cub is currently more than 70 cm long and 50 kg in weight. Its physical agility and cold resistance ability is superior to its peers due to wild training, Liu said.

The park has found a male Siberian tiger, which is one meter long and 60 kg in weight, that will live with the female tiger in the free-roaming area, Liu said.

Breeding and living in the wild is key for the tigers to go back to the mountains, he said.

The wild breeding of the next-generation Siberian tigers is another attempt to restore the tigers' wild nature and is crucial in protecting the species, he added.

Siberian tigers are one of the world's rarest animal species. Only 300 are believed to be living in the wild, with 20 in northeast China.

The country has been trying to save the species through active breeding programs. The Heilongjiang center has bred more than 1,000 Siberian tigers since its establishment in 1986, when it had just eight of the large cats.

Siberian Tiger Quest

Chris Morgan has tracked large predators in some of the wildest and remote places on Earth. He now embarks on his greatest challenge along with Sooyong Park - to find and film the elusive Siberian tigers living wild and free in Russia's far Eastern forests.

The Saga of the Siberian Tiger

My last blog dealt with the declining vulture population in India. This week we’re going to Russia and Northern China to talk about the Siberian tiger.

This big cat also known as the Amur tiger is in terrible danger. Today, it is estimated 400 to 450 of these tigers remain in the wild. The good news, through conservation efforts by world organizations and government agencies, the species has came back from the brink when it was estimated only 40 tigers were left in their natural habitat in the 1950’s.

But the bad news is the gains made in the last 50 years are about to be wiped away in the next few years. This latest development has world wildlife conservations and experts on edge.

Why? There are a number of reasons:

1)    Poaching: Perhaps the greatest contributor to the tiger’s recent decline. Illegal hunting and the harvesting of tiger organs for traditional medicinal remedies used in China are having a huge impact. This activity is on the rise.

2)    Habitat Destruction: This can mean a number of different things. Increased logging which means road building. With the roads, large territories become cut off. Roads also make it easier for illegal hunters to move about. Climate change via forest fires has also contributed to habitat destruction.

3)    Lack of Law Enforcement: With the economies of China and Russia slowing down, budget cuts to wildlife enforcement will soon follow.  There are simply not enough good people to keep watch and to protect the tigers.

This is all very sad. But you might be saying to yourself there’s very little you can do. You can donate to international wildlife conservation funds and write letters to Chinese and Russian leaders. There are plenty of projects set up exclusively to save the Siberian tiger. Here is one project that has done a lot of work and continues to this day.

Siberian Tiger Quest

View footage of the first wild Siberian tiger that filmmaker Sooyong Park captured on camera in this scene from Siberian Tiger Quest. Park spent more than five years searching for tigers in Russia’s north eastern forests. His technique was unconventional, but produced over a thousand hours of wild tiger footage that told the story of a three-generation tiger dynasty.

Watch Alone with Tigers on PBS. See more from Nature.

Amur Tiger Family Killed in Primorye

Sources: Komsomolskaya Pravda, PrimaMedia, RIA Novosti

Eight Amur tiger skins were seized from a resident of Arseniev town in Primorsky krai (Russian Far East).

The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is revered by most people in Primorye as the most beautiful and majestic animal, a symbol of the region. Although there are some people who consider it just roaming “striped money” and try to get, by fair means or foul, a skin of this rare animal listed as endangered species in Red Books of the Russian Federation and IUCN. Among the seized skins there were also small ones of 1- or 2-month-old tiger cubs. The specialists think that hunters killed the whole tiger family. The damage caused to nature is huge. For example, about 8-10 adult Amur tigers live in Lazovsky Nature Reserve (120,000 ha), one of the largest nature reserves in Primorye.

“Viktor, a wildlife dealer, is well-known by investigators for his illegal business; he has been buying up illegal wildlife products since the 1990s and was apprehended several times. Unfortunately, his appetite has significantly increased since then”, Primorsky Police’ press service informed. “Besides tiger skins, the police officers found 230 ginseng roots, 97 bottles of vodka with ginseng roots, 150 cartridges and about $115,000 in cash. The man allegedly bought up the goods from poachers in order to sell them later on in China”.

The man is now facing a heavy fine or a two-year imprisonment under the article 175 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Acquisition or Sale of Property, Knowingly Obtained in a Criminal Manner). He will be also punished under the article 222 (Illegal Acquisition, Transfer, Sale, Storage, Transportation, or Bearing of Firearms, Its Basic Parts, Ammunition, Explosives, and Explosive Devices).

We are thankful to unindifferent people who informed the police about the dealer, and police officers should be applauded for their prompt and successful actions ended up with an arrest of the dealer and seizure of tiger skins. Now, the specialists must determine the gender and age of killed animals and their range. Judging by the difference of quality the skins were processed, they are likely to have been bought in different districts of Primorye.

“Despite the fact that after International Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg in 2010 the Russian Government is allocating big money to conserve Amur tigers in protected areas, poaching, however, continues to be a major hurdle yet. Unfortunately, the government is suffering defeat in its fight with poachers”, says Sergei Bereznuk, Director of the Phoenix Fund. “We have not recovered yet from the last alarming news about a huge seizure of skins and derivatives of wild animals in April. During a search the police accidentally discovered 148 bear paws, 2 skins of the Himalayan bear, 3 skins of the brown bear, two skins and 5 tails of Amur tiger and 5 carcasses of a sea eagle. We hope that the arrested men will receive just punishment for their crimes”.

This news was found Jen Dowdy -thanks Jen.

Tiger and kid at zoo

Tiger Wants the Next Dance with a Little Visitor to the Zoo

China announces Siberian tiger wilderness training

Harbin at a North China breeding center announced on Friday the beginning of a wilderness training program for Siberian tigers.

Seven Siberian tigers are participating in the program and the figure is expected to rise to 11 by the end of the year, said sources with the Heilongjiang Siberian Tiger Garden, the world's largest breeding center for Siberian tigers.

Participating tigers must be cubs born within the breeding center, said chief engineer Liu Dan, adding that they will be sent to demarcated areas within the center's reserve accompanied by their mothers.

"It's an arduous experiment," Liu said, adding that the cubs must be three months or older in order to endure the wilderness.

Siberian tigers are one of the world's rarest animal species. Only 300 are believed to be living in the wild, with 20 in northeast China.

China has been trying to save the species through active breeding programs. The Heilongjiang center has bred over 1,000 Siberian tigers since opening in 1996, when it had just eight of the large cats.