Researchers have been able to locate three young orphaned Amur tigers that were released into the Udegeyskaya Legenda National Park in Primorye on September 27. This was possible because of newly designed GPS collars, which can monitor the animals’ movements. The tigers are currently a few kilometres from where they were let out, and they have remained close to one another so far.  

The tiger cubs Tatyana and Vladimir were spotted in December 2009 and Lazurina was found in February 2010. After being caught, they were taken to an interim rehabilitation centre run by the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the village of Gaivoron. The animals spent six months there. A special programme to study and protect the Amur tiger aims to return orphaned cubs back into the wild. The programme was launched by the Russian Academy of Sciences at the initiative of Vladimir Putin. Under the programme, scientists from the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences study and monitor tigers.

Last year, the first young orphaned tiger, Oleg, was released in Primorye after rehabilitation. According to data from satellite monitoring, he continues to live in the vicinity of the Ussuri Nature Reserve.

There are another six tigers with GPS collars settled in the Ussuri taiga now under the Amur Tiger Programme. Two adult tigresses were caught and tagged near the border with China this autumn. By tracking their movements, researchers will be able to establish whether Russian tigers cross into China.

In addition to the tigresses, one large male tiger weighing 190 kg was also caught and tagged this autumn in the Ussuri taiga. He was named Patchy.