The Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals in Alekseyevka, Primorye Territory, is continuing its rehabilitation programme for orphaned tiger cubs. Five cubs live at the centre: three males – Kuzya, Borya and Ustin – and two females – Svetlaya and Ilona. All of them were found last winter.

The rehabilitation is going well. The tigers are perfectly ready for the winter: they are well-fed and have nice thick winter coats. The first snow has fallen at the centre, and the tigers are barely visible against the background of snow and dry grass. Their amazing camouflage makes them invisible even under the smallest shrub. With the first snowfall, the tigers' daily activity has changed, too. In the autumn, they were active during the daytime, but since the snow fell, they have become very cautious and go out only under the cover of night.

The cubs have learned the basic skills of hunting large prey. They can successfully hunt down deer and mature hogs. All tigers– both males and females – are able to take down large animals.

The tigers are growing up, but they are still very friendly with each other. Borya and Kuzya like to rest together, side by side. They entertain themselves by turning the trail camera sideways, which makes it difficult to take pictures. Ustin, the other male tiger, spends a lot of time with his neighbours, Svetlaya and Ilona, having friendly chitchats with them through the fence.

The main objective of the last stage of the rehabilitation programme is to teach the tigers to hunt certain species of prey.