A camera trap installed on the Wrangel Bay coast in the Khabarovsk Territory by photographer Mikhail Korostelyov recorded an Amur tiger not far from the Shantar Islands. This is the region’s northernmost sighting of the rare predator in recent history. 

Owing to their dense fur and thick layer of fat, Amur tigers can survive in persistent freezing temperatures and deep snow, but usually they do not go that far north.

Previously, the northernmost tiger sighting occurred at Annenskiye Vody in the Khabarovsk Territory in 1999. This time, a camera trap installed on the Wrangel Bay coast spotted an Amur tiger almost 190 km north of this place (the camera is located at 54°16'58.0 N).

“We are monitoring bowhead whales in Wrangel Bay in the Khabarovsk Territory and live in a camp on the coast. The taiga is all around us. For the past three years, I’ve installed a camera trap there to take pictures of different animals such as brown bears, reindeer and foxes. This year, I left it up for another month. When leaving at the end of the season, my friend took the camera trap and brought it to me. Looking at my ‘catch,’ I was very surprised to see a tiger!” said Mikhail Korostelyov, a nature photographer who has won awards at numerous Russian and international contests.

Experts say that young tigers or male adults that have lost their territory after failing to oust neighbours most often leave the habitat.

“We can speak about the dispersal of tigers or their long walks only in winter when we can see their tracks in the snow. We do not install camera traps at random in places where tigers are not likely to live. So the footage of a male tiger’s journey to the north was a stroke of luck for the photographer. The tiger looks very healthy. Apparently, he has no problem finding food. We will continue collecting information on the tiger and will use it during the upcoming tiger count,” noted Sergei Aramilev, general director of the Amur Tiger Centre.

Tigers are probably not the only animals that have “wanderers” (tigers are just easier to notice), which makes sense from a nature perspective. Experts believe wandering leads to the natural dispersal and genetic diversity of animal populations. However, this lifestyle is very dangerous because when walking far distances, tigers are likely to use roads and paths and may eventually encounter people. In this case, experts have already informed the Khabarovsk Territory hunting supervision service about the tiger so that it can ensure the safety of this unique northern predator.