Tiger cubs Saikhan and Lazovka, who are living at the Centre for the Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals (PRNCO “Tiger Centre”), have entered a new stage of maturity. The predators have moved on to live prey: for example, Saikhan recently hunted for piglets.

“We have recorded Saikhan’s first hunting experience,” said Viktor Kuzmenko, Director of the Tiger Centre. “On the same night, the tiger hunted down another piglet, which is undoubtedly an achievement. It is a special rehabilitation period for predators when they learn how to survive in the wild. Piglets run around in the enclosure, and tigers can hunt them. So far, everything is going well. The tigers are good learners.”

If both predators continue to hunt their prey successfully, a young deer will be let into their enclosure in July. The tigers practise their hunting skills on different types of animals. Feeding tigers wild animals is a must, otherwise the big cats will get used to ready meals and being fed by humans, which may lead them to residential areas for food in the future.

Saikhan was found wounded in mid-January this year in the Pozharsky District of the Primorye Territory, while famished Lazovka was discovered in the Lazovsky District last December. The tiger cubs are getting along very well and are making a smooth recovery. They have been placed in a spacious 1.2 hectare enclosure with conditions imitating the wild taiga. Experts said they engage in a lot of active play, including running, hunting (tracking, stalking and attacking) and also wrestling. All this means that rehabilitation is going well. There are plans to release the predators into the wild in spring 2018.