An Amur tiger cub has been rescued from a trap in the Dalnerechensk District of the Primorye Territory. The trap did not cause serious injuries and after being treated by experts, the animal safely returned to its mother.

A local resident raised the alert about a tiger cub caught in a trap in a nearby forest. Zoologists sedated the animal and released it from the trap.

The cub got its right front paw caught in the trap. Experts from the Amur Tiger Centre treated minor wounds the cub had suffered, most likely while trying to break free. There were no serious or life-threatening injuries, and experts decided to leave the animal in its natural habitat. They examined the young predator and found that it was a female aged 3-4 months and weighing 20-25 kilograms.

“There is a badger colony with a many-tier system of holes and tunnels near the site where the trap was placed. It was a size 3 trap; this type of trap is prohibited. Rangers examined the site and saw that almost all the badger holes had such traps – 11 in all,” said Alexei Surovy, First Deputy Minister of Forestry and Wildlife Protection of the Primorye Territory. He took part in the rescue mission.

The damp soil near the trap that caught the cub was covered in the fresh tracks of an adult tiger. Experts believe that the mother tigress was probably trying to help its young one and was nearby during the rescue.

“The cub, like all children, is curious and probably was attracted by the smell of the badgers and got caught in the trap. It could not release itself and its mother was helpless, too. Knowing that the adult tiger was nearby and did not understand that her cub was being rescued, experts acted with extreme caution so as not to provoke her to attack,” said Amur Tiger Centre general director Sergei Aramilev.

Several hours later, the experts returned to the site and saw that the tiger cub had successfully recovered from the sedation and had moved in the direction of the supposed location of its mother. Hunting supervision department inspectors also installed camera traps.

“The alert we received helped us to respond promptly and save the life of the young tigress. The longer it was caught in the trap, the more serious its wounds would become while it was trying to escape. In the worst case scenario, the cub would have died due to dehydration,” Sergei Aramilev said.

The rescue mission was also attended by the employees of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife Protection of the Primorye Territory, the Directorate for Wildlife Protection and Specially Protected Areas, special group members and Amur Tiger Centre employees.