Sergei Glushchenko, head of the regional game management department, said that game managers of the Amur Region are planning to bring Amur tigers to specially protected areas in the Arkharinsky District of this region in order to preserve the population of these rare wild cats.

He said researchers are studying whether the Amur Region will be a suitable habitat for tigers. They have already agreed to the formation of a group of founders of the new population, and the first group of tigers will be sent to the Amur area this fall.

Mr Glushchenko said that the Arkharinsky District is a historic habitat of the Amur tigers, who have left it for anthropogenic reasons, such as hunting and infrastructure development. The Andreyevsky Reserve is located in the Arkharinsky District and the Zhelundinsky reserve is nearby. Before releasing tigers into the Amur taiga, experts will determine whether there is enough food in protected areas, Glushchenko said.

Researchers believe that to form a new stable population of the Amur tigers, it is necessary to assign to them an area of no less than 150,000-300,000 hectares; half of this area should have the status of a protected area in the next 10 years, and the aggregate density of hoofed animals should be no less than 30-50 animals per 1,000 hectares.