Judging by data from his GPS tracking collar, Uporny has left Anyuisky National Park and is currently roaming the Komsomolsky District of the Khabarovsk Territory. Researchers believe that the Amur tiger continues to look for a suitable habitat. “We have recently visited a mountain range in Anyuisky National Park. After studying three locations, we found the remains of a large male boar, which proves that the tiger has done some good hunting. The size of his prey, located during fieldwork checks, suggests that the tiger is having no trouble killing large hoofed animals,” said Alexei Kostyrya, a senior research associate from the Institute of Biology and Soil Science of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In November 2014, the tiger reached a community in the Vyazemsky District. After attacking a pet dog, the predator was captured and taken to the Utyos rehabilitation centre. On 28 May, the tiger returned to the wild. The collar still emits stable signals showing that Uporny is avoiding communities and main motorways. In all, he has travelled about 700 kilometres after his release.

“So far, the tiger is behaving the way a wild tiger should behave. He is trying hard to steer clear of roads and communities, and he is approaching various roads only in order to cross them,” Sergei Aramilev, director of the Primorye branch of the Amur Tiger Centre, said.