On 18 February, the Amur tiger Ustin was brought from a Primorye rehabilitation and reintroduction centre to the Rostov-on-Don Zoo.

“On Tuesday, a representative of the Rostov-on-Don Zoo came to the rehabilitation centre and brought a special cage in which Ustin already spent a night to get acclimated. The animal was examined and vaccinated, and on Wednesday morning he was taken by cargo plane to Rostov-on-Don. He will be paired with the tigress Prima,” said Viktor Serdyuk, a representative of the Tiger special inspectorate.

Prima, 10, was taken to the Rostov-on-Don Zoo from Primorye when she was young, as there was no rehabilitation centre in the region at the time. “Though Ustin is only three years old, the age difference in couples is not critical. In the near future, the tigers will meet and hopefully reproduce soon,” Serdyuk said.

During his travels, Ustin crossed the Amur River and visited a few Chinese villages where he hunted various animals. Then, the tiger settled in the Bolshekhekhtsirsky Reserve near Khabarovsk where he attacked dogs. In late December, scientists had to capture Ustin and place him in the Primorye rehabilitation centre, where it was discovered that he had been injured crossing the border.

Serdyuk added that the tiger Tikhon, which was placed in the Primorye rehabilitation centre in autumn 2014, now lives in the local safari park.