'Putin's tigers' to help restore habitat in China, Russia

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Kuzya is seen in the still from a footage captured in a nature reserve in the Lesser Hinggan Mountains in early November. (Internet photo)

With Siberian tigers entering from Russia, China's Lesser Hinggan Mountains in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang may see a restored habitat for the big cat, reported the Shanghai-based the Paper on Nov. 17.
Amur or Siberian tigers formerly roamed throughout the Lesser Hinggan Mountain before human activities destroyed their habitat decades ago. "Even after we developed an efficient monitoring system, we have never seen any Amur tigers," said Jiang Guangshun, deputy-director of the Feline Research Center, State Forestry Administration.
"The fact that Kuzya is here means that tigers are back in the forest, and that the tiger's habitat is being restored," said Jiang.
Kuzya is one of the three tigers Russian president Vladimir Putin released in the remote Amur region in Russia's far east back in May. It was believed to have swum across the Amur river and entered China early in October.
The tiger was spotted in early November with a far-infrared camera that the authorities placed in the region, thrilling conservationists in both China and Russia. Meanwhile, images of another one of "Putin's tigers," this one named Ustin, were captured on Nov. 14 on Heixiazi island, which is split between Russia and China, according to the State Forestry Administration. Ustin was released in June and has followed Kuzya's footsteps, entering China for the winter.
According to the International Herald Leader, an outlet run by the official newswire Xinhua, scientists in both China and Russia have urged their countries to launch cross-territorial projects to protect the endangered animal. Jiang said one already has. Some of the conservation areas on both sides of the China-Russia border have signed agreements to connect their natural reserves both physically and in terms of cooperation to jointly protect the animals.
Logging has been forbidden in major forests in Heilongjiang since April. Neighboring Jilin province will follow suit. Forests there are believed to create corridors for the tigers and with proper restoration they are expected to help restore and expand the tigers' habitat, said Jiang.
Yang Daode, an expert in biodiversity, said cross-border reserves may help expand the tigers' habitat and establish ecological corridors in China and Russia that allow tigers to roam and mate. "It must be a good thing that tigers have come," said Yang.
China and Russia set up an Environmental Protection Cooperation Sub-committee in 2006 that oversees activities of cross-border environmental and biodiversity areas, natural hazards crisis management, and water quality monitoring and maintenance.
The tiger used to range through Siberia, North Korea and northeast China. The big cat was on the brink of extinction as of the mid-20th century but its numbers have gradually increased as China and Russia have joined efforts to save them from extinction beginning in the 1990s. Currently there are about 500 of the tigers in the wild, though fewer than 20 are believed to be in China.
References:
Jiang Guangshun 姜廣生
Yang Daode 楊道德