A Moment of Silence for the Amur Tiger

I have something super serious to tell you. Eight Amur tiger skins have been seized from a citizen in the town of

A Moment of Silence for the Amur Tiger.

Arseniev in the Russian Far East. Wildlife experts think the poachers killed the entire tiger family including two cubs estimated to be 1-2 months old.

The deaths of these tigers is a crushing blow to wild tiger conservation. There are only an estimated 8-10 adult Amur tigers living in the Lazovsky Nature Reserve, one of the largest nature reserves in the Primorye, the far south-eastern edge of Russia.

Amur Tiger Conservation Efforts

The Amur tiger is in a battle against extinction. Scientists are worried that even though there are around 500 Amur tigers  surviving in the wild, low genetic diversity is making the subspecies vulnerable to disease. In fact the effective population was estimated at just 14 individuals remaining.  The troublesome low effective population size dims the hope for the recovery of the big cat.  To lose 8 healthy tigers, an entire family, to poachers is devastating.

It is important to understand there are many people in the Russian Far East that are protective of the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), you might know this tiger better by the name Siberian tiger. This tiger subspecies is listed as  critically endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and in the Red Books of the Russian Federation. Following the International Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg in 2010 the Russian Government began allocating  money to conserve Amur tigers in protected areas. But they are facing a formidable opponent and that is the demand for tiger skins and  tiger derivatives, such as bones and other parts for tiger wine, soups and traditional medicinal practices. As the tiger population dwindles, the price of tiger parts goes up because of scarcity.

Younger Generation is Driving the Illegal Trade!

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