Employees of the Komsomolsky Nature Reserve have found traces of a female Amur tiger in the Oldzhikansky Sanctuary 160 km north of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The evidence suggests that wild cats are exploring new areas as they move farther northward.

Sergei Aramilev, director of the Primorye branch of the Amur Tiger Centre, agrees that although there is nothing remarkable in the fact that Amur tigers migrate northward, this is nevertheless good proof of the common trend.

“There are the so-called winter and summer seasons for animal distribution levels in habitats. In summer, as we know, a tiger’s home range grows larger, while in winter it grows smaller due to thick snow. For example, the northernmost tiger paw print recorded during this year’s count was found within a few days’ walk from the sanctuary. So, it is premature to talk of the female tiger having indeed chosen to settle in the reserve. In case of heavy snowfall, she will be forced to move southward, following her staple prey,” Mr Aramilev said.

The 2005 count data shows that the tiger population on the right bank of the Amur was stable, whereas no tiger paw prints were found there during the 2015 count. Scientists say that harsh winters and other trends have prompted tigers to temporarily leave the area.

“Let’s hope,” said Sergei Aramilev, “that the winter will be mild up there, luring the female tiger to stay, and then perhaps a roaming male will drop in to form what could be the northernmost tiger clan.”