"Phase one of the Amur tiger census has been launched in the Primorye and Khabarovsk Territories," said Yevgeny Shvetsov, a spokesperson for the Tiger Special Inspectorate in Vladivostok.

"Tiger censuses are generally divided into two phases: the first takes place in late December and the second in early January. A census is taken every year," Shvetsov said. The project is funded by the Amur Tiger Research Programme in the Russian Far East carried out by the Russian Academy of Sciences' permanent expedition in the region with the support of the Russian Geographical Society. The spokesperson added that, in order to count the animals, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection had identified 16 sample areas inhabited by tigers.

"This year experts for the first time will collect biological samples for DNA testing, to be executed by the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Ecology and Evolution. The samples will be taken in eight different areas. This thorough research will yield additional information on the condition and health of the tiger population," Shvetsov said. He added that a researcher is assigned to cover each area. Experts locate tigers by their tracks in the snow.

New data on the Amur tiger population will be released in May 2011.