The Amur tigers Borya, Kuzya and Ilona, who were released into the wild in the Far East by President Vladimir Putin in May 2014, are doing well and have travelled several thousand kilometres over the past year.

In 2013, five tiger cubs, apparently abandoned by their parents, were found weak and vulnerable in the Far Eastern taiga. The cubs were named Ustin, Kuzya, Borya, Svetlaya and Ilona. Last May, Vladimir Putin released Kuzya, Borya and Ilona back into the wild in the Amur Region. Ustin and Svetlaya were released in the Jewish Autonomous Region in the following month. Each of them was wearing a satellite-connected radio collar. The tigers were around a year and a half old when they were set free.

In autumn of the same year, Kuzya and Ustin crossed into China but returned in December. Kuzya explored the southern part of the Amur Region, swam across the Amur River and eventually settled in the Jewish Autonomous Region. From May until early October last year, Kuzya covered almost one thousand kilometres. No information is available about his movements in China, where he stayed from October until December.

Ilona roamed around the southern and central parts of the Arkharinsky District for some time and then moved into the Jewish Autonomous Region and, finally, back into the Amur Region. At present, Ilona is in the Khingansky Nature Reserve. She has walked 2,400 kilometres over the past year.

Borya settled in the central part of the Arkharinsky District bordering on the Amur River and is still there. His overall route stretches nearly 2,400 kilometres long.

After crossing the Amur river into China, Ustin ventured into several villages, where he hunted various animals. Later, Ustin settled in the Bolshoi Khekhtsir Nature Reserve near Khabarovsk and reportedly attacked local dogs. In late December, he was caught and placed in a rehabilitation centre in the Primorye Region. It turned out that he had suffered an injury on his way back from China. Ustin currently lives in a zoo in Rostov-on-Don.

Svetlaya settled in the Jewish Autonomous Region.