Wildlife Alliance

Veterinarians treat "Angara," a 6-month-old Amur tiger cub, at Utyos rehabilitation center in Khabarovsky region

Vladivostok, Russia (Jan.18, 2008)- In January, a 6-month old Amur tiger cub was found in a kennel on the outskirts of a small town in Khabarovsky. The emaciated cub, whose mother was most likely killed by poachers, was rescued by members of Phoenix Fund’s Inspection Tiger team and transported to a private farm of one of the rangers who has experience nursing tiger cubs.

After Moscow authorities granted permission, the female cub, named “Angara” after a river that flows from Lake Baikal in Siberia, was brought to Utyos, a wildlife rehabilitation center 150km from Khabarovsky. The owner of Utyos has been engaged in bear rehabilitation for many years and currently keeps a resident tiger, rescued 12 years ago, at the center. In 2001, two rescued tigresses were successfully rehabilitated at Utyos and released back into the wild.  

Now living in a remote enclosure on the property, Angara is purposefully kept away from visitors in hopes that she will maintain her fear of people. A fear of, and flight from, humans is often necessary for animals trying to survive in the wild. Angara will also learn to hunt prey on her own while living at Utyos.

The current director of Utyos, Eduard Kruglov, believes the rehabilitation process should go smoothly for Angara, though he is less sure of a safe area to release the tigress. In the meantime, Phoenix Fund has agreed to pay the cub’s expenses while staying at Utyos until she is strong enough to be fitted with a radio collar and released back into the wild, tentatively scheduled some time in August-September.

"Angara" will be released back into the wild once she is strong enough.

Angara’s story has become an all too common one in the Russian Far East and other areas where wildlife still struggles to survive in the wild. More often rangers, villagers and hunters are finding orphaned tiger cubs either close to death in the wild or kept as pets in villages. It is presumed the cubs’ mothers have been killed, as a tigress mother rarely leaves her cubs.

Phoenix Fund’s anti-poaching activities are working to protect Amur tigers, Amur leopards and other wildlife from poachers’ guns and snares. Phoenix’s inspection tiger teams regularly patrol Amur tiger and leopard habitat and inspect roads and cars for evidence of wildlife poaching and/or smuggling. In 1999, Phoenix Fund established an Emergency Response Team, part of the Conflict Tiger program, to work toward preventing and resolving human/predator conflicts. During patrols, team members regularly meet with local residents living in or near tiger habitat and teach them about the reasons for past conflicts and steps they can take to prevent future conflicts with tigers and other predators.

To support Phoenix Fund's conservation work, click here>>