The tigers Pavlik and Yelena, who were released in the Amur taiga on 23 May 2019, have been successfully adapting to their new home and hunting actively, as experts of the Amur Tiger Centre, the Khingan Nature Reserve and the Amur Region’s wildlife protection directorate concluded after the first field check of the reintroduced tigers’ location. The data were received from the animals’ GPS collars.

“As of today, we can confirm that Yelena killed a large boar and a badger: experts found the carcasses at a place where the tigress spent a lot of time. Pavlik caught two badgers, a roe deer and probably a wolf,” said Sergei Aramilev, general director of the Amur Tiger Centre.

According to Aramilev, the list of the predators’ kill is not complete, because experts were not able to access all the places where Pavlik and Yelena stayed due to flooding.

“The prey list gives us hope that the tigers will have no problems hunting in the future. Yelena was able to kill a large boar, which is always a serious enemy for a tiger, and Pavlik caught a roe deer, which, unlike other hoofed animals, can change its movements swiftly, thus remaining difficult prey even for such a perfect predator as a tiger. It is funny that while the tigers stayed in the temporary enclosure, boars were walking along its perimeter, which clearly annoyed the animals. So once Yelena was released, she returned to the place where the enclosure was and took her revenge on the boar. It is true that you should not anger a caged tiger!” Sergei Aramilev added.

Vyacheslav Kastrikin, deputy director for research at the Khingan Nature Reserve, said that both tigers are still in the Amur Region, where they were released into the wild. Yelena is at the heart of the reserve, and Pavlik is currently moving along its southwestern border.

“Yelena now lives in nearly the same area where the tigress Ilona resided for a long time: a high-altitude part of the reserve, with good prey. In addition, an adult male tiger has been visiting this area regularly for several years, so the young tigress has a chance to mate and give birth to her first cubs, thus increasing the population in the reserve. It is a good question whether Pavlik remains in the reserve, because all the tigers before him didn’t spend much time in the area and left for other places. Time will tell if Pavlik will follow their example. We hope not,” Vyacheslav Kastrikin said.

Valery Pogasiyenko, head of the preservation department at the Amur Region’s wildlife protection directorate, noted that tigers do not roam very far from the place where they were released. He believes this means that the reintroduction place was chosen well.
“This district has a dense boar population, and predators noticed this, as well as the good climate and landscape conditions. The release was also well-organised; the tigers felt almost no stress. When the boars begin to migrate, the tigers will follow. Now they have no such need,” Valery Pogasiyenko believes.