An abandoned Amur tiger cub found in the Khasan District of the Primorye Territory is making a recovery. The four-month-old female was taken to the Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals in the village of Alekseyevka.

Specialists examined the cub and conducted express tests for possible infectious diseases. No signs of infection were found. After spending some time in a heated quarantine box, the cub was moved into a spacious open-air enclosure on 13 January.

“She has started to explore her new enclosure and the surrounding objects, which means that she is not aloof and behaves like a healthy animal. With humans she is very cautious and on the defensive side, which is characteristic of wild cats,” said Yekaterina Blidchenko, a senior researcher at Land of the Leopard National Park and a Tiger Centre veterinarian.

The cub’s meal schedule has been drawn up until July 2016 and specifies the necessary amount of meat products and live prey (rabbits, sika deer and wild boar) needed to practise the necessary hunting skills.

“Rehabilitation and release into the wild is a fairly long process, as in the wild Amur tiger cubs begin an independent life around the age of 18 months. The best time for release into the wild is late spring when hoofed animals give birth to young ones and badgers and raccoon dogs wake up from their winter sleep. Therefore, if, in the course of rehabilitation, the cub develops proper hunting skills and a strong inclination to avoid humans, she may be released in late spring or summer 2017. So, there is still a lot of work ahead for all who participate in this process,” said Sergei Aramilev, director of the Primorye branch of the Amur Tiger Centre.