As reported by the state-run Russian News Agency TASS, an exciting discovery was made last week: the first sighting of Amur tiger pawprints in the northeast Siberian republic of Sakha for the first time in half a century.
Russia’s forest protection service spotted the pawprints along the right bank of the Aldan River in southeastern Sakha. According to zoologists, Amur tigers (also known as Siberian tigers) find it difficult to find their footing here because of a lack of deciduous forests and wild boars.
The discovery of the pawprints indicates that the population of the endangered species is recovering, thanks to ongoing conservation work. Russia decided to protect the Amur tiger after over-hunting brought the species close to extinction in the mid-20th century.
Now, the Amur tiger population in Russia’s Far East has almost doubled since 2005, when there were only 330 tigers recorded. Viktor Nikiforov, the head of the Tigrus environmental charity, says that “the fact that the tigers are exploring their ancestral hunting grounds indicates that the number of the northernmost tigers is not a cause for concern.”
Hopefully, the Amur tiger population will continue to thrive, and humans will find a way to live in harmony with these beautiful creatures.
