A tiger cub with a broken leg was found by a local resident on the morning of November 7, about 13-15 kilometers from the Khabarovsk-Komsomolsk-on-Amur highway. The local resident reported the injured cub to veterinarian Damir Bakalyuk who caught it and took it to a veterinary clinic in Komsomolsk-on-Amur for examination without waiting for specialists.

"Near dawn, I went and found the tiger cub. I wrapped it in a blanket, loaded it into the car and took it to the clinic in Komsomolsk. I immediately called the Unified  Duty Dispatch Service "112" and informed them that we were bringing the tiger cub in, and asked them to notify the police and the game warden. We could see that his left front leg was damaged; he tried to step on it and fell," said Damir Bakalyuk.

A scan showed that the tiger cub had a fracture of the left humerus without displacement. Further examination was carried out in Khabarovsk, where the young tiger was taken by an inspector from the State Hunting Inspection agency.

"The man risked his own life for the cub, and for this we are grateful, but from now on it is worth being more prudent and careful. If the tiger’s mother had been nearby, the unauthorized capture could have ended in tragedy. The capture should have been carried out by State Hunting Inspection officers, who would have drawn up a capture report on the spot to initiate further investigation," said Yuri Kolpak, Head of the Khabarovsk Territory Hunting Department.

In Khabarovsk, the specialists conducted an additional exam and found a number of other injuries on the tiger cub. Surgery was performed on the tiger cub on the same day.

"This little one has several injuries. The main one is an oblique fracture of the front left humerus. We performed surgery and reattached the bone with a 7 x 0.5 cm plate. Now the leg is fixed in place, and the cub has received a prescription of postoperative treatment, care and rest. We also found a minor bone crack on the left hind leg, but with rest it will heal on its own, without surgery," said Ivan Shakhov, veterinarian at the Khabarovsk city animal disease control station, and an employee at the Amursky Tiger Center.

If the post-operative treatment goes well, the tiger cub will be transferred to one of the rehabilitation centers.

"The tiger cub is a three-month-old male, he was stressed, very cold and exhausted, but fortunately not severely. The first two weeks are the most difficult, so now his main task is to survive. In this regard, it is too early to say anything definite or give a prognosis. A fracture of the humerus is a serious injury, especially with the other injuries. Now the tiger cub will undergo post-operative recovery, and then his rehabilitation will begin.

It is still unknown why the tiger cub was in this condition. One possibility is a hit-and-run accident. At this age, a tiger cub is typically with its mother and doesn’t stray far from her, partly because it is still feeding, but it is already beginning to slowly taste the meat of the prey that its mother catches. That's why we are concerned about the fate of its mother," Aramilev said.

Bad weather did not allow the specialists to find any trace of the tigress mother where the cub was found. According to the experts, the fact that the tigress was not around does not mean that she necessarily died. Perhaps the mother left with a healthy cub, leaving the injured one behind.