The tigers Pavlik and Yelena, who stayed at the Centre for the Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals (Tiger Centre) in the Primorye Territory, have been sent to the Amur Region for their release into the wild.

GPS collars will allow researchers to monitor the tigers as they adapt to life in the wild and promptly help them if need be.

“Now the tigers are in for a difficult journey, but we hope that they will arrive safe and sound on time to a temporary enclosure from which they will return home to the taiga after some time,” Sergei Aramilev, general director of the Amur Tiger Centre, said about transporting the tigers to the Amur Region.

The tigers will be released not at once but after spending five to seven days in a temporary enclosure. This will allow them to cope with stress due to travel and the drastic change of environment.

The young tigers spent a year at the rehab centre learning basic skills that they need to lead an independent life – to hunt and avoid humans. The tests conducted by specialists showed that Pavlik and Yelena are ready for release into the taiga.

“Today both Pavlik and Yelena are capable of hunting for food on their own in the wild. So we are not worried about them. In any event, after their release, we will keep a close eye on them and quickly help them if there is a problem. However, I hope we won’t have to do so and the tigers will adjust well to the wild,” said Viktor Kuzmenko, director of the Tiger Centre.

The reintroduction efforts involve the Primorye Territory Department of Hunting Supervision, the Amur Tiger Centre, the Tiger Centre, the Directorate for the Protection and Use of Wildlife and Protected Areas of the Amur Region, and others.