The Amur tiger conservation programme will be financed with non-budget sources, including grants from the Russian Geographical Society, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Tiger Conservation Fund will be modelled after the Far Eastern Leopard Conservation Fund, which for many years has been overseen by Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Ivanov.

Owing to the success of the leopard fund, a decision was taken to set up a similar fund for tiger conservation.

“Mr Chuychenko, chief of the Presidential Control Directorate, will be in charge of this,” Mr Peskov said.