One of the two tiger cubs who were captured near the village of Alexei-Nikolskoye in the Primorye Territory this spring has been named Pavlik.

The right to name the animal was sold to the company Pavlik at a charity auction held as part of the Eastern Economic Forum. Company representatives received the certificate at the Moscow office of the Amur Tiger Centre on 19 December. The company can also send its delegates to watch the release of the two tigers into the wild next spring.

“We are delighted that one more company has decided to contribute to the preservation of Amur tigers. Contributions from those who care help us finance our conservation programmes,” said Sergei Aramilev, director general of the Amur Tiger Centre. He added that the rehabilitation of Amur tigers and their release into the wild do not come cheap.

Pavlik the tiger is slightly over one year old. He has learned to hunt the animals that are released into his enclosure and reacts to human presence as a predator should:  he lies low or runs away. If the rehabilitation process goes as expected, Pavlik and his sister will be released in spring 2019.