A stele monument to the Amur tiger has been unveiled near the Primorye Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Vladivostok. The stele has the statistics of the Amur tiger count since 1940 engraved on it.

“A year ago we erected a magnificent sculpture symbolising the power, strength and grace of this beautiful animal. Over two years ago we set up the Amur Tiger Centre together with the Russian Geographical Society with support from President Vladimir Putin. And today we are unveiling a stele that shows the Amur tiger population since 1940. These declining figures reflect the dramatic life of this animal. We almost lost the species at one point, but thankfully we began to restore its population just in time. This is highly important because the Amur tiger is an indicator of wildlife well-being,” said Konstantin Chuichenko, Chairman of the Supervisory Council of the Amur Tiger Centre and Presidential Aide.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoi said the Amur tiger population has considerably increased since the previous monitoring.

“According to expert estimates, the Amur tiger population today consists of 523-540 individuals, while the previous statistics of ten years ago put their number at 450. This year the Amur tiger count was conducted by 2,000 experts on an area of 150,000 sq km,” he said.

Vladivostok marked Amur Tiger Day on 26-27 September for the 16^th time. Various celebrations were held in the Primorye Territory capital during these two days, which culminated in a concert in the main square of the city. The event was organised by the Amur Tiger Centre and the Primorye Territory administration.