The Amur tiger Ustin, released into the wild in June 2014, has been captured and taken for treatment to the Rehabilitation and Reintroduction Centre for Tigers and Other Rare Animals in the Primorye Territory. A representative of the Tiger Special Inspectorate said that the tiger, which had been injured when crossing the Russian-Chinese border, was getting better.

“We will continue to monitor its health for a few months, because it cannot be released in winter. If we see that it is fully recovered and has not lost its survival skills, we will release it in a quiet place in the forest,” a spokesman for the Tiger Special Inspectorate said.

During his time in the wild, Ustin swam across the Amur River, ventured into several villages in China where he hunted various animals. He then crossed back into Russia and settled in the Bolshoi Khekhtsir Nature Reserve near Khabarovsk, where he was reported to have attacked dogs. In late December, scientists decided to catch the tiger after it was injured while crossing the border, and place it in a rehabilitation centre.

Based on past successes, scientists believe that Ustin will be released back into the wild in the Amur Region in a few months. Four of the five tigers released into the wild after a period in captivity have settled in the region, which has good food resources and few human settlements.