State hunting inspectors on anti-poaching teams in the Primorye Territory have received winter uniforms specially designed by the Amur Tiger Centre.

The functional new uniforms are intended to withstand the harsh climate of Russia’s Far East.

Alexander Korneyev, a senior inspector of the Directorate for the Protection of Wild Animals and Specially Protected Areas of the Primorye Territory, was visibly pleased with the new uniform, which keeps inspectors warm as they work and makes them look more authoritative in the eyes of hunters. “People look at us differently now. They see that the service is working. Hunters now can immediately see that state inspectors are representatives of a serious organisation. True, we earned our reputation even without the uniform, but it helps a lot,” he said.

Inspectors work with hunting managers, law enforcement agencies and local administrations and monitor the state of animal populations and their habitats. A separate team handles conflicts involving large predators, including the Amur tiger.

During two weeks, from 10 to 24 November, state hunting inspectors of anti-poaching teams carried out 63 raids, registered 28 hunting violations and confiscated seven hunting weapons, according to the Directorate for the Protection of Wild Animals and Specially Protected Areas, a regional state-funded institution.