The Amur tiger population in Russia has stabilised over the past decade. According to the 2015 winter count data, there are at least 540 of these rare felines in the Russian Far East.

“For the first time in the past few years, a very effective count, in my opinion, was held. It drew no complaints from either specialists or public organisations. <…> The results suggest that the Amur tiger population has stabilised over the past 10 years and currently amounts to at least 540 animals,” Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoi said. The Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard count was conducted in February 2015 and spanned more than 150,000 sq km of the wild cats’ habitat in the Far East.  

A new national park, Bikin, was established in the Primorye Territory in November 2015, the minister said. It comprises the Verkhnebikinsky  Nature Reserve and part of the Bikinskaya traditional nature management area. The new park sprawls over 1.16 million hectares.

“The park occupies the sole-surviving strip of virgin forest on the western slope of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, which is home to key Amur tiger habitats,” Mr Donskoi said.