The Amur tiger stands out among other species of its family for its larger size. Characteristic bright color, thick and long hair, powerful body - these features allow this proud animal to adapt to life in the harsh conditions of Primorsky Krai. However, for a long time the Amur tiger has been threatened by dangers that put it on the brink of extinction.
According to experts, today the population of the Amur tiger is a little more than three hundred individuals. The tiger lives mainly in the cedar forests of Sikhote-Alin. The animal tolerates sudden changes in temperature throughout the year. In winter, the tiger is able to lay down in the snow, and if there is a need for long-term shelter, he hides in niches between rock ledges. In general, the Amur tiger is well adapted to the conditions of Primorye.
The tiger spends most of its time hunting. Deer, moose, wild boars, roe deer, and sometimes bears become the prey of the predator. The tiger is able to watch the prey for a long time, and then overtake it with several wide jumps. The inability to run for a long time makes the tiger very prudent about the hunt. If the prey breaks free, the predator will not pursue it. The Amur tiger has practically no natural enemies comparable to him in strength, but a man is capable of causing him a lot of trouble.
After the mass death of wild boars, roe deer and deer in the mid-1980s, tigers inevitably began to attack dogs and livestock. Created in connection with this, teams of hunters managed to exterminate several dozen tigers “without trial or investigation”. A few years later, when the borders with China actually opened, a real hunt for a unique predator began. Both local and foreign hunters chased after the skins of the taiga handsome, hoping to get rich quickly. By the end of the last century, the number of tigers had thus declined sharply.
Concerned about the state of affairs, environmentalists and animal advocates sounded the alarm. A project was carried out to protect the Amur tiger from extinction. To study the behavior of the animal in natural conditions, they began to use radio collars, which made it possible to control the movements of tigers and evaluate their habits. In the created national parks and reserves, the Amur tiger is now under state protection, but in the rest of the territory the predator is defenseless against poachers.
Another factor that negatively affects the size of the animal population is human economic activity. The laying of pipelines and the clearing of cedar forests drive the tiger away from its favorite places, forcing it to follow potential prey moving to other places. For life, the Amur tiger needs extensive hunting grounds, therefore, the destruction of habitual habitats is the main source of danger for the population. It is necessary to search for a solution to the problem not at the local, but at the state level.
