A male tiger named Uporny (Tough) has settled in the Gur River basin, which is part of the Gursky Wildlife Sanctuary in the Komsomolsky District. According to a GPS device on his collar, the tiger has lived there since 29 November.

As they were checking spots where Uporny might have stopped, experts came across a lair where the tiger had spent several days and, in the vicinity, remains of a wild boar carcass. The prey must have weighed 50 kilograms or more.

“Uporny has a good chance of surviving this winter, though it’s too soon to say – man proposes, God disposes. The hardest winter month and early spring are ahead, with heavy snowfalls that can hinder animal movement,” said Sergei Aramilyov, director of the Amur Tiger Centre’s Primorye branch.

The tiger came close to a village in the Vyazemsky District in November 2014. He attacked a dog, and was promptly caught and taken to the Utyos rehab centre, from where he was released on 28 May. GPS signals show that he has grown cautious, and gives a wide berth to settlements and major motorways.