In 2019, the Ussuri Nature Reserve’s trail cameras caught more images of Amur tigers passing by than in the past few years. This was the conclusion that the researchers of the Severstov Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the Russian Academy of Sciences made while studying the initial reports from trail cameras for the past two months. The research is carried out within the framework of the special Amur Tiger programme.

“Early reports indicate that this year, the tigers passed through more times than in the past several years,” said Sergei Naidenko (DSc in Biology), a professor at the RAS Severstov Institute of Ecology and Evolution. “On many occasions, we have seen them pass by in groups of two to four, which is a rare sight. These groups may be mating pairs (males with females) or females with fully grown cubs. We will be able to tell for sure once we examine the obtained material.”

Trail cameras are motion-activated; each takes three snapshots in a row at one-second intervals until the moving object leaves its field of view. Experts enter the obtained data into a program that does the count and provides them with data on the density of the tiger population in the Ussuri Nature Reserve and its surrounding areas.

Since each animal has a unique colour pattern and can be identified and tracked with the help of several cameras, the scientists can use the obtained images to accurately monitor each tiger’s movements. Trail cameras allow the scientists to collect data not only on tigers, but also on other animals and birds living in the nature reserve that happen to get caught on camera. This information is also of interest to the scientists, as it helps them estimate the availability of tigers’ prey.

The research on Amur tigers in the Ussuri Nature Reserve has been carried out by the employees of the RAS Severstov Institute of Ecology and Evolution since 2008. The density of the tiger population is estimated on an annual basis.