Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoi, speaking during President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Government ministers, unveiled the latest Amur tiger population figures based on the intermediate results of a combined Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard count. According to the latest estimates, the Amur tiger population stands at around 510.

“So far, we can say that are about 510 Amur tigers living in the wild now. This is more than during the 2005 count. Back then, there were 450 tigers. So we’re looking at an increase of about 15 percent. I think that it’s a stable dynamic,” Mr Donskoi said.

Preliminary data suggested that the total tiger population, all habitats included, was between 480 and 540. The Primorye Territory is home to 310-330 adult tigers and 70-85 cubs. There are also 80-95 tigers and 20-30 cubs in the Khabarovsk Territory, four adult tigers in the Jewish Autonomous Region and two in the Amur Region. In 2005, the Amur tiger population was estimated at 423-502 animals. 

The tiger population statistics reveal positive changes, the minister said. He praised the role of specially protected areas in boosting the wild cat’s numbers.

“We will continue to develop the system of specially protected areas, to which a new national park, Bikin, will be added. Everything is ready there, so decisions concerning it will have to be made this year. We believe that with consistent work, stable funding and the necessary material and technical resources, the Amur tiger population can be brought up to 700,” Mr Donskoi said.

The combined Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard count was conducted in February 2015, spanning over 150,000 square kilometres of tiger and leopard habitats in the Russian Far East.

The final results of the tiger and leopard “census” will be published in October 2015.