On 13 November 2020, the Hunting Supervision Service of the Primorye Territory received a message about two tiger cubs walking along a road in one of the northern districts.

After taking a good look at the photos and videos provided by people, experts found that they showed two tiger cubs aged between 4 to 5 months. They also had to determine what had made the cubs do what they were doing and to exclude any suspicions that this was caused by the death of the mother tigress, without whose care they could be in danger at that age.

Trails on the spot showed that the cubs' mother was all right and at the time of the meeting she was nearby and was keeping an eye on her cubs, after which she took them to a safe place.

“It is not uncommon that less cautious and careless tiger cubs appear before people, while their mother, due to her greater experience and caution, watches what is going on from a distance. We know exactly where this meeting took place but we’re withholding information in the interests of the cubs' and their mother's safety. We would also like to ask people to do the same, in case they suddenly have a desire to show their information through social media or otherwise. We must remember that this can bring more harm than good,” explained Sergey Aramilev, General Director of the Amur Tiger Centre.

Alexey Surovy, Deputy Minister of Forestry and Wildlife Protection and Head of the Department of Wildlife Protection and Protected Areas of the Primorye Territory, reported that the Primorye Territory Hunting Supervision Service always promptly responds to information from people about encounters with Amur tigers,  especially when it comes to tiger cubs, which makes it possible to guarantee both rare animals' and people's safety.

“I would like to note people's personal involvement and responsibility. After the encounter with the tiger cubs they became concerned about the circumstances of their appearance on the road and informed our experts without delay. This made it possible for us to quickly establish what really happened and to ensure that the cubs and their mother are safe. The situation is under control. We will be paying special attention to this tiger family's habitat in order to fully ensure their safety,” Surovy said.

In the Primorye Territory, tigers' encounters with people on roads are far from rare and are often due to natural factors. These meetings mostly occur in taiga areas where roads cross large woodlands in which Amur tigers and other wild animals live.

If people happen to encounter a tiger on a road they are advised to stay in their car, as well as to exclude any actions that might provoke the animal. Similar actions are recommended when meeting with tiger cubs, even if their physical size does not seem to appear dangerous.

If people encounter tigers or other large predators they must inform the Primorye Territory Hunting Supervision Service by calling 8 (423) 239 0990 or the Amur Tiger Centrr at 8 (423) 222 1448.