The Amur Tiger Centre, the Centre for the Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals (PRNCO “Tiger Centre”) and the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor) have decided to release Vladik the tiger into the wild on Monday, 15 May. Vladik’s neighbour, tigress Filippa, was set free on 29 April.

Experts have chosen Bikin National Park in the Khabarovsk Territory for Vladik’s future home. The decision on the place and date was made following the tiger’s veterinary assessment and tests. Before the release, specialists will put a GPS tracking collar on Vladik so as to be able to easily monitor any movements. The collar was provided by the Amur Tiger Centre.

The tiger was caught in October 2016 near Vladivostok, hence his name. In order to prevent Vladik from entering residential areas, conflict resolution specialists from the Primorye Territory hunting department took him to the Amur Tiger Centre. The animal was successfully rehabilitated, shown how to survive with the help of hunting skills, crucial for living in the wild, and learnt to be cautious towards people.