Russian tigers to be relocated to northeastern China

Russian tigers to be relocated to northeastern China

MOSCOW, November 11 (RIA Novosti) – The WWF has approved the relocation of several Russian Amur tigers to northeastern China to restore the wild animal’s population, World Wildlife Fund Russian department director Igor Chestin said.

“We are talking about a particular Chinese territory where tigers used to live before, where they come to from time to time but do not live permanently,” Chestin said, adding “There are good conditions for feeding and a good number of hoofed animals,” he continued.

However, WWF has not supported a project to relocate three Russian tigers to South Korea as there are concerns that this environment is unsuitable for them due to the lack of hoofed animals essential for their survival.

Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are the largest subspecies of tigers, growing to over 3 meters in length and weighing up to 300 kilograms. They are on the World Conservation Union’s critically endangered status list, and there are only about 500 of them left in the wild. Since 2006, poachers are known to have killed around 10 in Russia’s Far East.

Related News

• Russia, China launch joint project to protect tigers, leopards
• Amur tiger population in Primorye decreased by 40% – ecologists
• WWF builds first center to protect Amur tigers in China
• Russia, China to set up joint reserve to protect tigers

http://en.rian.ru/Environment/20091111/156795829.html

http://bigcatrescue.org