Over 1,000 researchers and staff of specially protected natural areas, environmental agencies and game farms are scouring the taiga for evidence of Amur tigers. Director of the Primorye branch of the Amur Tiger Centre, Sergei Aramilev, described a day in life of the people who put their lives and health at risk, walking dozens of kilometers a day across the taiga, equipped with only a backpack and their outdoors experience.

— Sergei, how does a counter’s day begin?

— It begins the day before. You have to pack for the following day. If you plan to go out on skis, you have to get everything ready – adjusting the foot mounts, attaching the skins. You have to prepare clothes based on the weather forecast. Then there’s the backpack. What do we pack? First, we take the things that we might need to make measurements, such as a ruler or a tape measure, a pencil, a spare pencil, a log to record data, some paper, satellite navigator with extra batteries and a camera. We also bring spare thermal underwear and a warm jacket. We may find ourselves in a mountainous area with rivers and springs, and you might fall through ice and get your feet or clothes wet. A spare set of clothing is essential. The jacket goes in the backpack, you don’t put it on right away. Counters tend to move around a lot in the taiga, and they are usually fine without a jacket. But they definitely need one while waiting for their ride back at the end of the day. In the morning, the counters prepare their meals for the day, which can be a thermos of hot tea and sandwiches with sausage or cured pork fat. Matches and a knife are also must-haves.

— All right, so they’re done with the backpack and go to bed. When do they usually get up? Or does it depend?

— Normally, they get up at 6, 7 or 8 in the morning, it all depends on the length of the route. The counters go to their starting point either on their own or get a lift from colleagues. They use skis, snowmobiles or just walk – it depends on the length of the route. Before starting, they check the map and the GPS and then head out. They might simultaneously take snowfall measurements, record traces of ungulates that are less than 24 hours old, and enter this information in the log. If he finds traces of a tiger, he measures the most distinct one. Occasionally, a counter may walk several kilometers before he finds a good imprint, because it might be on ice, a frozen river, on top of snowmobile tracks or the tracks of a boar or a hunter. Finding a clear imprint and measuring it is the counter’s main job, because the imprint doesn’t tell you anything if it’s not measured.  

— How long does it take to measure a tiger paw print and log the information?

— The whole process takes anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes. It takes a little longer if you find feces, because you have to take samples using sterile bags and labels. The bagged and labelled sample is then put in a packet. After that, the counter continues on his route.

— Have there been encounters with tigers?

— Of course, many times. Counters must have flares: one that is immediately accessible and a spare one in the backpack. An experienced counter who comes across a tiger will not use the flare right away, but will first try to scare it away by speaking loudly in clearly articulated words. You have to start talking to a tiger and to try to show it that you are not scared and you are stronger. Normally, the tigers leave at that point, but if they become curious and start moving in, then you should wait until it’s about 15 metres away, and only then use the flare. Smart tigers will always leave when they see fire, because they are afraid of it. Before leaving, the counters must let the coordinator know when they will enter the forest and when they plan to return. This is a routine procedure to make sure that they can get help in case there’s trouble.

— What else should the counters look for as they walk their route?

— There are lots of interesting things they might see on the route. First, other wild animals. And, of course, the tiger traces – paw prints, scratch marks, and marked trees. The counter can use scratch marks to identify whether it was a male or a female tiger and log this information.

— What is the average length of the routes?

— The routes average 10 kilometres; occasionally, 14 kilometres, if we walk or go on skis. If we use snowmobiles, the distance is not limited. Within reason, of course.

— Do counters ever go out for more than one day?

— Yes, occasionally counters go out for a few days at a time, and stay in cabins overnight. The route is planned so that a counter can reach the cabin during the day, spend a night there and start out again in the morning. When he’s done, he can go to the road and wait for a vehicle to pick him up, or go back to the cabin, spend the night there again, and head back the next day – it all depends on the length of the route and the destination.

— What kinds of cabins are these?

— It’s just a log hut, sometimes with small windows. It usually has a table, a bed and a stove. As soon you enter the cabin, you have to light a candle, and then start a fire in the stove. You can cook the food you brought with you and get some hot water for tea. But the main focus is on entering information in your log, which is done in pencil, because pens freeze in the cold and if a pencil breaks, it can be easily sharpened.

— What kind of information is entered in the logs?

— First, measurements of tiger tracks, but also GPS coordinates, landscape features and observations that may be useful in the future. At the end of the route, the counter goes over his records to correct mistakes that he may have made in the heat of the moment. Generally, he tidies up the entries. After that, he fills in the general information, such as his name, date of birth, information about the route and other details. When the log is all filled out, the counter gives it to the coordinator, who may have questions for him. Then they both sign it, and the work is completed.