AMUR TIGER

AMUR TIGER

By wwf photographer

Amur tigers were once found throughout the Russian Far East, northern China and the Korean peninsula. By the 1940s, hunting had driven the Amur tiger to the brink of extinction—with no more than 40 individuals remaining in the wild. The subspecies was saved when Russia became the first country in the world to grant the tiger full protection.

By © Vladimir Filonov / WWF-Canon

By the 1980s, the Amur tiger population had increased to around 500. Although poaching increased after the collapse of the Soviet Union, continued conservation and antipoaching efforts by many partners have helped keep the population stable at around 540 individuals. 

The Amur tiger’s habitat is now restricted to the Sikhote-Alin range in the Primorski and Khabarovsk provinces of the Russian Far East, small pockets in the border areas of China and possibly in North Korea. The high latitude means long winters and that the sun does not rise far above the horizon.

By © Vladimir Filonov / WWF-Canon

Amur tigers have the largest home range of any tiger subspecies because they have to search over large areas to find food due to low prey densities. They represent the largest unfragmented tiger population in the world.

←Amur tiger territories.

FACTS ABOUT AMUR TIGERS:

By © Hartmut Jungius / WWF-Canon

• STATUS: Endangered
• POPULATION: As many as 540
• SCIENTIFIC NAME: Panthera tigris altaica
• WEIGHT: 396–660 pounds
• LENGTH: Up to 10 feet
• HABITATS: Temperate forest

WHY THEY MATTER:

The vast tracts of tiger forests in the Amur-Heilong landscape are unique. This region comprises Korean pine and Mongolian oak, which provide an important habitat for the Amur tiger and its prey—as well as important economic resources for local communities

By © David Lawson / WWF-UK

THREATS:

HABITAT LOSS

Illegal logging operation, Russian Far East. - WWF 

Tiger forests are at risk from logging, conversion to agriculture, urban expansion, road construction, mining, fires and inadequate law enforcement. Illegal logging is widespread throughout the Russian Far East and has a major impact on tiger populations because Korean pine and Mongolian oak provide critical food for the the tigers' prey during the snow season.

At least 30% of all Russian forest exports are tainted by illegal logging. The United States is the top importer of hardwoods harvested in the Russian Far East and manufactured as furniture in China. In 2010, the Russian government listed Korean pine in Appendix III of CITES—requiring CITES permits for Korean pine timber exported from Russia and making it harder for the illegal timber trade to continue.

Dark Forest, an undercover Russian documentary investigating the timber mafia in Russia, puts a spotlight on the high-level corruption prevalent in the system. The film highlights the prevalence of illegal deforestation in protected areas and fake auctions in the Russian Far East. The documentary confirms several WWF reports that revealed that much of the logging in the region is illegal.

ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE:

The most immediate threat to the survival of Amur tigers is poaching to supply demand for tiger parts on the black market. Experts say a new breed of poacher stalks the tigers of the Russian Far East. Often having international ties, these modern poachers are better-armed, more organized and faster than their predecessors.

In 2010, suspected members of a Chinese poaching gang were captured by the Russian authorities after sneaking into a tiger sanctuary near the border. One of the suspects was dragging two big bags behind him as he stumbled through the snow. Inside the bags, said police, were two adult tiger skins and the bones of a tiger cub.

Back into the wild:

↱

On May 15, 2017, Vladik the tiger was released into the wild. Just months before the Amur tiger was found lost in the city of Vladivostok, Russia. Vladik was taken to a rehabilitation center and then released back into the wilderness of the Russian Far East in Bikin National Park. By WWF-Russia

↰By WWF-Russia

A three-year-old Amur tiger was 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

Video © Jilin Wangqing National Nature Reserve 

Footage of a tiger and her playful cubs caught by a WWF camera trap is the first video evidence of wild Amur tigers in China. The footage was captured almost 20 miles from the Russian border late last year. In the past, tiger footprints were the only indicators of Amur tigers in China.

The distance from the Russian border is significant as the cubs would not have been able to travel so far on their own. From their location, we know they were raised inside China.

“These images show that Wangqing Nature Reserve has now become a breeding site for Amur tigers. Seeing these positive outcomes from our efforts greatly strengthens our confidence that wild Amur tiger populations can be restored,” said Wang Fuyou, division head of the Wangqing Nature Reserve conservation department.