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.

Pet Dog Turns Wet Nurse for Pair of Tiger Cubs

House cats, it would seem, aren't the only felines with nine lives. A pair of Siberian tiger cubs, whose mother died during birth, have been adopted by a pet dog in the Russian town of Sochi. The dog's owner, however, has a baby of her own, meaning the tigers will have to be returned to the zoo soon.

When Siberian tiger cubs Plyusha and Clyopa's mother died during their birth in late May in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, zookeepers didn't know what to do. Then, Yekaterina Khodakova, 30, and her pet dog came to their rescue.

The dog, a Shar Pei named Cleopatra, had recently given birth to two pups of her own. "The zookeeper found out by chance that my dog, Cleopatra, was producing milk because she is nursing her pups, so he asked me if the tiger cubs could also be breastfed," Khodakova told SPIEGEL. 

 Survival of the cubs would be a victory for conservationists. Siberian tigers are extremely rare: less than 400 live in the wild, mostly in the cedar forests of far eastern Russia.

Determined Effort
 
At first, Cleopatra was not willing to collaborate. Already nursing pups of her own, the Shar Pei was "initially reluctant and tried to bite" the tigers, said Khodakova.

After some coaxing reprimands from her owner, however, Cleopatra relented. "I didn't give up," said Khodakova. "I told Cleopatra that they would die if they didn't get milk. And sure enough, the next day, Cleopatra had adopted the unfamiliar cubs!" The dog now takes care of the tiger cubs as if they were her own puppies.

Both the dogs and the tiger cubs are getting additional sustenence during the ordeal. According to Khodakova, Cleopatra is now getting meat from the zoo "because she needs a lot of energy to breastfeed." The tiger cubs are also being fed goat milk.

Just Friends
 
Khodakova's gumption is remarkable considering that she also has an 18-month-old son, Gleb. She says she is "not afraid that the tiger cubs will bite (him). To (Gleb), they are like two friends."

Despite her desire to keep the cubs for longer, Khodakova knows that it they will have to leave soon. Over a month old, Plyusha and Clyopa are growing quickly, and soon, "it will be too dangerous for Gleb to play with them," says Khodakova. She says she will return the cubs to the local zoo at the end of July.

That will still leave Khodakova with a small menagerie at home. In addition to the dogs and tigers, she also has a house cat named Masyanana.

No more photos with Siberian tiger cubs in China

Wildlife conservation and forestry departments in a Chinese province have announced that visitors will not be allowed to click themselves with Siberian tiger cubs at a tiger park in future.

The step followed a complaint filed by a resident, surnamed Li, living near Siberian Tiger Park, the largest Siberian tiger breeding base in the world, to the provincial forestry department, Xinhua reported Thursday.
Li said that visitors to the park were allowed to take pictures with Siberian tiger cubs for 100 yuan (about $16).

"The cubs cried miserably, and that's so pitiful," said Li, adding that the cubs would hide behind the tree after being photographed. "Obviously, they aren't willing to do this."

Li's complaint won the support of local wildlife conservation and forestry departments, and the relevant departments of Heilongjiang province decided to stop the profitable activity.

Some wildlife enthusiasts, however, said the practice was understandable as many animal parks and zoos suffer from a lack of funding.

Siberian tigers are among the world's rarest species. Their population in the wild is estimated to stand at around 500. Most of the tigers live in east Russia and northeast China.

Man Commits Suicide By Wandering Into Siberian Tiger Pen

A man was killed by tigers at Copenhagen Zoo today after he scaled a fence and crossed a moat to gain access to the predators’ enclosure. The victim, who was 21, was savaged by three tigers after he broke into the zoo in the Danish capital in the early hours. He was found dead surrounded by the Siberian tigers when staff arrived for work. It is unclear why the man, who has not yet been identified, entered the enclosure but police have not ruled out suicide as a possible motive. Superintendent Lars Borg revealed that a post-mortem examination has shown the man was bitten on the thigh, chest, face and throat. ‘The tigers attacked him and killed him. It is likely that a bite to the throat was the primary reason for his death.

A lot of people feel a certain way about cats, but when you look at their build there really aren’t that many better killers out in the animal kingdom. Big cats and sharks kind of have a stranglehold on things. People hate housecats because they live their lives believing they’re a tiger when really they’re just a pussy, but legitimate tigers should be respected for the jugular-striking murderers they are. They’re quick, strong, hunt in packs, always land on their feet, and have Wolverine claws. This kid knew what he was doing.

He went out with a fight. Some people prefer a quiet suicide with lots of solemn reflection, others wanna fist-fight a pack of Siberian tigers until we see who’s best. Yeah, the tigers are best, but if my man held his own I’m sure there’s a bloody tiger missing an eye or something. Either way it was way more riveting than jumping off a bridge or taking a Seau-ing himself the chest.

Siberian Tiger Cub, Puppy And Cat All Play Together

Meet Plyusha, a baby Siberian tiger born in late May at a small zoo in Sochi, Russia. Since poaching is a real threat to the species, the zoo was overjoyed until, as the San Francisco Chronicle reports, the mother refused to feed her babies.
Luckily for the cubs, the zoo was found Yekaterina Khodakova, a woman with a Shar Pei dog who recently had a litter of puppies -- and she began to feed the baby tigers as her own.
Scroll through the photos of baby Plyusha playing with the puppy, a cat, and a baby -- they're almost too good to be true.
Want more adorable pictures of newborn animals? Click over to this slideshow of baby otters cuddling and sleeping on towels.