Four of the five cubs that were released into the wild by President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s Far East have adapted well to their new surroundings.

“A group of researchers is currently in the Amur Region, exploring tiger trails and tracking the movements of the radio-collared tigers. Four of the five tiger cubs that were released into the wild have fully adapted and settled in the Amur Region, the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region,” Viktor Serdyuk, a spokesman for the Tiger special inspection service, told reporters. “And Ustin would have done well too, if he hadn’t crossed into China during the ice breakup.”

The four tigers are doing fine out in the wild, he added. “They hunt successfully, so the scientists aren’t worrying about them. We can say the experiment to release the cubs into the wild has been a success.”

In 2013, five tiger cubs, weak and abandoned, were found in the Far Eastern taiga. The cubs were named Ustin, Kuzya, Borya, Svetlaya and Ilona. In May 2014, Vladimir Putin released Kuzya, Borya and Ilona into the wild in the Amur Region. Ustin and Svetlaya were released in the Jewish Autonomous Region in June. All five were fitted with radio collars, making it possible to track their movements via satellite.

In autumn, Kuzya and Ustin crossed into China but returned in December. Ustin swam across the Amur and ventured into several villages in China where he hunted various animals. After crossing back into Russia, he settled in the Bolshoi Khekhtsir Nature Reserve not far from Khabarovsk, where he reportedly attacked dogs. In late December, scientists had to catch Ustin and place him in a rehabilitation centre in the Primorye Region. It turned out that he had suffered an injury on his way back from China. At present, Ustin lives in a zoo in Rostov-on-Don.

As for the tigress Zolushka (Cinderella), released into the Bastak Nature Reserve in the Jewish Autonomous Region two years ago, she is looking to become a mother. “Scientists have discovered that she has been accompanied by a male for a long time, so there is every reason to assume that she will have cubs soon,” Serdyuk said.