The Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor) agreed with expert recommendations and approved the release of Sanda the tigress, who has undergone rehabilitation at the Centre for the Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals (Tiger Centre) in Primorye. The plan is to release the tigress in the Arkhara District of the Amur Region, near the border of the Khingan Nature Reserve, in May 2021.

According to Alexei Surovy, first deputy minister and head of the Department of Wildlife Protection and Protected Areas at the Primorye Territory Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife Protection, experts of the department’s working group recommended releasing Sanda in the Amur Region following an assessment of the young tigress’s readiness to live in the wild, and Rosprirodnadzor supported that recommendation.

“The previous successful experience of releasing rehabilitated tigers in the wild shows that experts always take a rational approach to choosing the release site, so in this case, we supported their recommendations. Rosprirodnadzor has done the same. The results of the tests carried out at the rehabilitation centre show that the tigress is completely ready to live in the wild, and there are no reasons against returning her to the taiga. Sanda will make her contribution to restoring the almost lost group of tigers in the Amur Region,” Alexei Surovy said.

Sanda the tigress came into the care of experts in May 2020. The nine- or ten-month-old cub, who regularly approached the village of Gornovodnoye in the Olga District of the Primorye Territory, was caught on 16 May 2020. The emaciated animal was placed in the Tiger Centre in the village of Alekseyevka for treatment and temporary care. The Amur Tiger Centre covered all expenses for the rehabilitation of the young tigress.

Over the last year, experts have prepared the cub to live in the wild. A tested method was used to teach Sanda how to hunt hoofed animals as well as to respond appropriately to humans. It was only a matter of time before the tigress would return to the taiga upon reaching the best age for release.

In line with Rosprirodnadzor’s decision, Sanda will be released in the Arkhara District of the Amur Region (a more precise location cannot be disclosed for the animal’s safety). Two years ago, in May 2019, the tigers Pavlik and Yelena were also released in the Amur Region. They too underwent rehabilitation at the Tiger Centre.

The tiger siblings then parted ways. Yelena decided to live in the Khingan Nature Reserve, while Pavlik left the protected area and travelled a lot in search of a permanent place to stay. Unfortunately, he was killed by poachers in the Svobodnensky District of the Amur Region in September 2020. The persons suspected of the killing have been identified, the investigation has been completed, and the criminal cases have been filed with the court.

Sergei Aramilev, general director of the Amur Tiger Centre, noted that, despite Pavlik’s tragic death, it was decided to continue carrying out the programme to restore the group of tigers in the Amur Region.

“Pavlik and Yelena have proven that the Amur Region is a suitable place for tigers to live. The reintroduction of these felines means returning them home, so we believe that the decision of the working group and Rosprirodnadzor is well-grounded and no temporary setbacks should stop the important work of restoring the tiger group in the Amur Region. Sanda in particular is completely ready to live on her own, and the only question now is how to release her: in the traditional way, when the animal sets off for the taiga directly from the transport cage, or in the soft way, when a tiger is released after adapting in a temporary open-air enclosure. A soft release is necessary when more than one animal is released, or when there is a male among them, because as a rule, they are worse at adapting to a new area. In this case, we are talking about releasing one female, so we can use the classical method. Much here will depend on the weather, because spring is an unpredictable season, and the spring thaw on the way to the release site can significantly complicate a soft release, so we will act according to the situation. The most important thing is that Sanda successfully adapts to her new place of residence and serves a great cause. We believe in her,” Aramilyev said.

Experts from the Khingan Nature Reserve believe that Sanda, like Yelena and Ilona before her, will stay in the reserve, where she can find all she needs to live safely and comfortably.

“The results of Yelena’s scientific monitoring and studies of her diet confirm that tigers in the Khingan Nature Reserve can base their diet not only on boar but also on other available hoofed animals. In particular, this was true for Yelena, which was repeatedly confirmed by checking the tigress’ clusters. I am sure that Sanda will have no problems with food, and she and Yelena will become good neighbours,” said Vyacheslav Kastrikin, deputy director for research at the Khingan Nature Reserve.

Russian experts have unique experience in rehabilitating tigers in crisis and returning them to the wild. These animals are removed from their natural environment due to wounds, injuries, diseases or other factors that pose a threat to their life or could lead to conflicts, such as when tigers are forced to stray into populated areas and they attack pets and cattle.

At-risk tigers (with wounds, diseases or scarce prey in their living area) are treated and rehabilitated with the financial support and involvement of the Amur Tiger Centre.