Vladivostok, the capital of the Primorye Teritory, marked Amur Tiger Day on 26-27 September. City residents celebrated the event with a colourful costume procession. Adults and children walked along the main street carrying slogans in support of the rare wild cats – the Amur tiger and the Far Eastern leopard.

The celebrations were also attended by Chairman of the Supervisory Council of the Amur Tiger Centre and Presidential Aide Konstantin Chuichenko and Primorye Territory Governor Vladimir Miklushevsky.

“When we see how many people are here today to show their support for the Amur tiger and express their respect for this glorious animal, we see that our efforts to draw public attention to the fate of this striped predator are bearing fruit. It means we are moving in the right direction,” Mr Chuichenko said.

Mr Chuichenko presented the keys to nine 4x4 vehicles and six quad-bikes to the game police and game control centres of Primorye.

Vladimir Miklushevsky said that this was the 16^th Amur Tiger Day to be held in Primorye.

“Over these years, the celebrations have become larger and are now the key event in Primorye. I am happy that people bring their families, children and grandchildren to the celebrations. This bodes well for the protection of the tiger in the future,” he said.

The festive procession involved over 8,000 people, including representatives from the small indigenous groups of the Far East.

“We will continue to celebrate Amur Tiger Day, which has already become the tagline of the region,” the governor said.

 The festivities ended with a concert in Vladivostok’s main square.