The program for the study of the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East is being implemented as an independent project within the framework of the Permanent Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences to study the animals of the Red Book Russian Federation and other especially important animals of the fauna of Russia, created and included in the IPEE RAS on the basis of the Order of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences dated February 29, 2008 No. 12300-128

Purpose of the program- development of scientific bases for the conservation of the Amur tiger in the territory of the Russian Far East.

Program Objectives:

1. The study spatial structure of the Amur tiger population, movements and the nature of their use of space.
2. The study reproductive biology Amur tiger.
3. Zoological and veterinary examination Amur tigers from the natural population.
4. Study of interpopulation interactions between tigers and other predatory mammals.
5. The study food, food resources, distribution and population dynamics of the main prey species of the tiger.
6. Preparation of a new version of the Strategy for the Conservation of the Amur Tiger in Russia, development of recommendations for monitoring the Amur tiger population and its conservation.

Tiger (Panthera tigris)- belongs to the genus of large cats. This cat is very large sizes: body weight of males up to 320 kg, females up to 180 kg, body length of males up to 290 cm, females up to 190-200 cm, tail length of males 115 cm, females up to 110 cm.

Amur tiger- the largest and most beautiful subspecies of the tiger - lives in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, the Amur Region. It is included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. According to the latest data obtained in 2005, the population size is estimated at 400-500 individuals. Favorite habitats - low mountains, river valleys, padi, overgrown with vegetation of the Manchurian type with a predominance of cedar and oak. The basis of nutrition is large and small ungulates. The tiger leads a solitary lifestyle on a plot of up to 1000 square meters. kilometers or more. The size of the habitat and its structure can be influenced by a number of factors, such as: the depth of snow cover, the density of the prey population (presence of herds of ungulates - wild boar, roe deer, red deer, sika deer), anthropogenic impacts (deforestation, poaching, availability of roads, ongoing hunting of ungulates).

Currently, the population of the Amur tiger exists in conditions of an acute shortage of suitable habitats and an adequate amount of food - wild ungulates. This causes an increase in the mobility of individual individuals and the appearance of the tiger outside the current area of ​​​​its distribution.

To elucidate the adaptive capabilities of the species in today's changing environmental conditions, it is necessary to study the structure of its habitats and assess the long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems in the Russian Far East, as well as modeling habitats using GIS technologies to predict the distribution of the Amur tiger. An important component of the program is the study of the structural and functional organization of populations of the main types of prey of the Amur tiger - ungulates (wild boar, roe deer, red deer, sika deer) and populations of its main competitors - brown and Himalayan bears, wolf, as well as the specifics and consequences of interpopulation interactions of two large species feline - tiger and Far Eastern leopard.

The issue of creating a state information center is urgent, which should contain information on the state of tiger populations in particular and rare species animals in general. The method of counting the number of tigers also needs to be adjusted.

The Amur tiger (also known as the Ussuri, Siberian, Altai, Korean, Manchu or North Chinese) is one of the smallest subspecies of tigers and the largest of them.

The body length of Amur tigers is about 2 m, the tail is 1 m. Males are a quarter larger than females. The weight of an adult animal can reach 300 kg. The largest recorded mass of a tiger is 384 kg. The tiger has a huge physical strength: it can drag a horse carcass over 500 m on the ground.

The skin of the tiger has a beautiful color: transverse dark stripes run along the red background on the back and sides. It is believed that the stripe pattern is unique to each tiger: you are unlikely to find two animals with the same pattern on the skin. The striped color, despite its brightness, is masking.

The average lifespan of a tiger is about 15 years. He can live up to 50 years, but dies, as a rule, earlier.

The tiger is at the top of the food pyramid ecological system- Ussuri taiga. The state of the tiger population is an indicator of the state of the entire Far Eastern nature.

The tiger is a carnivore, it feeds exclusively on animal food, mainly big booty. He has to devote most of his time to hunting, as only one out of ten of his attempts is successful. The basis of the diet of the tiger is deer, wild boar and spotted deer. For the successful existence of one tiger, about 50-70 ungulates (red deer, spotted deer, roe deer or wild boars) per year are needed. With a lack of these animals in nature, tigers feed on badgers and raccoon dogs, can attack livestock and dogs. The Amur tiger knows how not only to hunt, but also to fish: during spawning, he catches fish on the rifts of mountain rivers. A tiger can eat up to 30 kg of food in one sitting, and its daily allowance is 9-10 kg of meat.

If there is enough food, the tiger quickly grows fat: the thickness of subcutaneous fat in him often reaches 5-6 cm. Thanks to this, he can easily starve for a week or even more between two successful hunts, and in winter he can make long transitions to new territories. However, in snowy winters tigers really starve and sometimes even die of starvation.

Contrary to popular belief about the cannibalism of the Amur tiger, it rarely enters settlements and attacks a person. On the contrary, he tries his best to avoid meeting people, although he is less afraid of them than other large animals. A predator attacks a person only when injured or cornered.

The tiger is characterized by a solitary lifestyle, like most cats. It adheres to a certain individual area, but sometimes it makes large transitions in search of food. On the borders of its territory, the tiger leaves special marks. Usually these are odorous marks: the predator sprays urine on trees or stones. Sometimes he makes scratches on the ground, in places of marks. In addition, the tiger strips the bark from trees with the claws of its front paws - such teasers are found at a height of 2-2.5 m above the ground. The height of these marks can tell about the size of the beast that left them. An adult male guards his site from aliens. With strangers, the tiger sorts things out, demonstrating its strength with a roar. Fights are rare.

Tigers greet each other with special sounds that are formed when air is vigorously exhaled through the nose and mouth. They can also express friendliness by touching their heads, muzzles, and rubbing their sides.

The Amur tiger is a silent animal. Some zoologists who have been observing it for many years have never heard a tiger roar. However, during the rutting season, tigers roar often, especially females. If the predator is irritated, it growls dull and hoarse, in a rage it characteristically “coughs”. AT good mood the tiger purrs like a normal domestic cat.

Tigers breed about once every two years. These animals are polygamous: from one to three females can live on the territory of one male. If the tiger has rivals, he can fight with them.

The pregnancy of a tigress lasts 95-112 days. There are usually two to four tiger cubs in a brood. Within a week after giving birth, the tigress is constantly next to the cubs. Males do not take part in the care of offspring. Up to three or four months, the tigress only occasionally leaves her cubs for a few hours. Then the cubs begin to walk with their mother, learn to look for prey, master the methods of hunting. The cubs stay with a tigress for at least one and a half to two years. Even when they start an independent life, they still live as a group on their mother's plot for several more months. Young tigers do not know how to hunt well, so they often go hungry. In search of food, they follow the footsteps of the tigress in order to pick up the remains of her prey. Tigers become sexually mature by the age of three or four, but only half of the cubs that are born survive to this age.

The tiger's habitat is the southeast of Russia, the banks of the Amur and Ussuri, the northeast of China (Manchuria), the north of the DPRK. It is found almost everywhere in the Primorsky Territory (except for the Khorolsky District) and in the eastern regions of the Khabarovsk Territory. The northern boundary of the distribution area runs approximately along 49 degrees. With. sh. The length of the range from north to south is approximately 1000 km, and from west to east - 600-700 km. More than anything Ussuri tigers distributed in the foothills of the Sikhote-Alin, in the Lazovsky district of Primorsky Krai. Tiger habitats are valleys mountain rivers and padi with forest vegetation of the Manchu type with a predominance of oak and cedar. The tiger also lives in pure cedar forests, in mountains with deciduous plantations, and inhabits secondary forests. In winter, with a lack of natural food, it often keeps in the vicinity. settlements. Each adult tiger lives in a specific habitat, the average size which in females is from 250 to 450 square meters. km, in males - up to 2000 sq. km.

The Amur tiger is one of the rarest representatives of the world fauna. In the middle of the 19th century, the tiger population was numerous, but at the end of the 19th century, up to 100 animals were exterminated annually, so by the end of the 30s of the 20th century, the Amur tiger was on the verge of extinction: no more than 50 individuals remained on the territory of the USSR. The main reasons for the decline in the population are the destruction of natural habitats (forests and bushes), the reduction in the number of main food objects (various ungulates), as well as the direct extermination of tigers by poachers.

More information

02/03/2012 | Vladimir Putin's programs to save rare animals

In 2008, work began on several programs related to the study of rare and especially important animals in Russia. All programs are carried out with the support of the Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin. At Russian Academy Sciences, the Permanent Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences was created to study the animals of the Red Book of the Russian Federation and other especially important animals of the fauna of Russia. Almost all species of animals studied by this expedition are listed not only in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, but also in the International Red List of the IUCN.

The programs provide for educational work among the local population. It is important not only to draw attention to the problem of protecting rare and widespread species of animals in Russia, such as the Amur tiger, Snow Leopard, far eastern leopard, white whale (beluga whale), but also to tell the widest layers about the ecology and behavior of these animals local residents regions.

Amur tiger research program in the Russian Far East

Amur Tiger Program its goal is to develop scientific foundations for the conservation of the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East. The main objective of the program is to study the spatial structure of the Amur tiger population, the movements and numbers of these cats in Russia, and the nature of their use of space. In addition, scientists study the reproductive biology of the species, habitat characteristics, nutrition and food resources, as well as the distribution and population dynamics of the main prey species of the tiger, the relationship with other competitive predators.

The program includes studying the structure of tiger habitat, assessing the long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems in the Russian Far East, and modeling habitats using GIS technologies to predict the distribution of the Amur tiger. An important component of the program is the study of the structural and functional organization of populations of the main prey species of the Amur tiger - ungulates (wild boar, roe deer, red deer, spotted deer) and populations of its main competitors - brown and Himalayan bears, wolves, as well as the specifics and consequences of interpopulation interactions between two large species of cats - the tiger and the Far Eastern leopard.

The work uses such devices for researching tigers as camera traps, special loops for catching a tiger, pneumatic rifles with an optical sight for immobilizing tigers, and satellite collars. Molecular genetic methods for the study of tigers are being carried out.

On August 31, 2008, during Vladimir Putin's visit to the Ussuri Nature Reserve, a tigress was caught. After the predator was put on a satellite collar, she was released. However, in November the tigress fell into the noose again. Scientists decided to give her the name Earring: the fact is that the syringe with sleeping pills got into her in such a way that in the photo then it looked like an earring in her ear.

On October 20, 2009, Serga the tigress was caught again. They took off her collar, which had worked for exactly a year, and put on a new one instead. It turned out that the cubs had chewed off the transmitting satellite antenna from her old collar, which is why scientists could only track her with the help of a VHF transmitter. The tigress was measured again, biological samples were taken from her, the collar was replaced with a new one with fresh batteries.

From the old collar, we managed to get all the data on Earring's adventures during the year - these are 1222 locations, 16,500 activity measurements, 6 full daily moves. The data downloaded from the collar made it possible to obtain detailed information about the movements of the tigress last year. The habitat of the beast was almost 900 square meters. km, and only 56% of the locations turned out to be within the Ussuriysky Reserve, the rest - outside it. The tigress actively used, among other things, the territories in the immediate vicinity of settlements - the villages of Kamenushka and Mnogoudobnoe.

On October 26, 2009, another tiger was caught in the Ussuriysky Reserve, which was named Boxer. Scientists have suggested that it is. Subsequent genetic studies in the laboratory of the Institute confirmed that this is the son of Sergi, one of her three cubs.

In the spring of 2009, a one and a half year old tiger cub was caught in the reserve, left an orphan after the death of a tigress. He was given the nickname Oleg. Captured in a weakened state, on September 16, 2009, after rehabilitation in captivity, the cub was released into the wild. This is the world's first such experiment on the return of the tiger to nature.

Program "Belukha-White Whale"

Program "Belukha-White Whale" aims to study the white whale (Delphinapterus leucas). The beluga whale is not an endangered or rare species, but is a recognized indicator of the state of Arctic marine ecosystems. The main task of the program is to study the distribution, seasonal migrations and abundance of beluga whales in Russian seas, as well as clarifying the current status of its various populations throughout the Russian range, studying the characteristics of the habitat, nutrition, and relationships with other species. For this, the scientists of the IPEE RAS use the most modern methods: satellite tagging (telemetry), aerial surveillance, veterinary and genetic research. Traditional methods of coastal visual observations are also used.

Summer 2009 Vladimir Putin took personal control of the Beluga-White Whale program, whose main task is to study seasonal migrations and the number of belugas in the Russian seas. The transmitter installed by Vladimir Putin stopped working, but the study of belugas continues.

In July-August 2009, satellite transmitters were installed at 3 in the area of ​​Chkalov Island. They transmit data on the movement of beluga whales through satellite system ARGOS. The transmitters were supposed to follow the movement of animals for six to nine months and determine not only the route of their movement, but also give a lot of new information about their relationships with each other and between individuals from other populations of the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk.

The aerial observation program was carried out within 40 days from the end of July to the middle of September 2009. Animal censuses were carried out large group zoologists. For the first time for the Far East, an aircraft laboratory AN-38 "Vostok" was created, equipped with last word technology specifically for monitoring marine mammals. For the first time in a fairly short period, almost the entire coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk was surveyed, with the exception of Kuril Islands. The main concentrations of beluga whales, seals and whales during this period have been identified.

Irbis (snow leopard) study program in southern Siberia

Program "Irbis - snow leopard" was launched in 2010 and is designed for 5 years. In the Red Book of the Russian Federation, the snow leopard is assigned category 1 - a species "endangered at the limit of its range." The number of snow leopards in the Russian part of the range is about 50 animals. The main goals of the program are to study the state of populations throughout the range of the leopard in Russia, to identify key reproductive nuclei and groups, to develop scientific foundations for the long-term conservation of the leopard (snow leopard) in southern Siberia in Russia. Scientists are studying the spatial structure of the snow leopard population, the movements and abundance of these cats in Russia; develop methods for counting the snow leopard; study the reproductive biology of the species, habitat characteristics, feeding habits, distribution and population dynamics of the main prey species, relationships with other competitive predators, and work on the Strategy for the conservation of the snow leopard in Russia and the preparation of recommendations for its conservation.

One of the most important tasks of the project is educational program for the local population, students and schoolchildren, increasing knowledge about native nature local residents. Program participants actively cooperate with the local press, telling reporters about the features and habits of this amazing animal. The Khakass branch of the Russian Geographical Society, formed in the fall of 2010, provides assistance to scientists in order to ensure their work on the territory of the Khakassky nature reserve, the Pozarym nature reserve being created, and other specially protected areas of the region.

In their work, scientists use camera traps, satellite collars, as well as molecular genetic, hormonal non-invasive research methods.

In the future, scientists plan to conduct work throughout the Russian part of the snow leopard range. Also in the plans is the coordination of activities to assess the abundance and study of the biology of the species with the scientific communities of the countries of the Altai-Sayan region (Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan), where such studies are being conducted.

Arctic Polar Bear Program

In April 2010, a complex expedition of the IPEE RAS took place under the Polar Bear Program within the framework of the Grant of the Russian Geographical Society to the area of ​​the Arctic archipelago Franz Josef Land. The purpose of the Program is to study, preserve and restore the population polar bear in the Russian Arctic.

Currently, the main threatening factors for the polar bear are: the industrial development of the Arctic, pollution and destruction of habitats, direct destruction - poaching. The factor limiting the movement of the polar bear is the seasonal state sea ​​ice. One of the main tasks of the expedition was to test the method and technology for organizing work on satellite tagging in the remote Arctic territory of the Franz Josef Land State Nature Reserve.

In unfavorable weather conditions, at strong wind and frost below -20 ° C, for almost a month of work, scientists managed to catch and immobilize 4 male polar bears. Two of them were wearing Russian-made satellite collars, which continue to work at the moment, although the first marked bear dropped the collar.

Vladimir Putin, together with scientists, put a satellite collar on a bear caught in a special trap

In August 2008, Vladimir Putin, together with specialists from the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka, took part in a scientific expedition to study the gray whale. Vladimir Putin shot a whale with a crossbow with a special arrow in order to take a piece of gray whale skin for analysis. In May 2010, the head of the Government released Sochi from the cage into the enclosure. national park one of two female leopards brought from Iran.

Recently, at a meeting with Tomsk students, Vladimir Putin said that he considers it necessary to introduce additional economic mechanisms to protect the environment. On the eve of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, it is worth recalling that the only chance for the conservation of the animal world of Russia is the continuation of work to preserve and improve the ecological situation in the country, the creation of conditions for stopping poaching and a reasonable approach to the use natural resources countries, including hunting management.

We can confidently assume that without the support of Vladimir Putin, programs to support, study and preserve rare and especially important animals in Russia will lose funding and stop. Therefore, choosing Putin as the President of the Russian Federation, every person interested in the further development and prosperity of Russia will make the right choice.

The Amur tiger study program in the Russian Far East is an independent project within the framework of the permanent expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences to study the animals of the Red Book of the Russian Federation and other especially important animals of the fauna of Russia, which was created in 2008 on the basis of the institution. The scientific leader of the expedition is Academician Dmitry Sergeevich Pavlov, director of the IPEE RAS; head of the expedition - doctor of biological sciences Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Rozhnov, deputy. director of IPEE RAS.

The Amur Tiger Program aims to develop the scientific basis for the conservation of the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East. The main objective of the program is to study the spatial structure of the Amur tiger population, the movements and numbers of these cats in Russia, and the nature of their use of space. In addition, scientists study the reproductive biology of the species, habitat characteristics, nutrition and food resources, as well as the distribution and population dynamics of the main prey species of the tiger, the relationship with other competitive predators.

To elucidate the adaptive capabilities of the species in today's changing environmental conditions, it is necessary to study the structure of its habitat and assess the long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems in the Russian Far East, and to model habitats using GIS technologies to predict the distribution of the Amur tiger. An important component of the program is the study of the structural and functional organization of populations of the main prey species of the Amur tiger - ungulates (wild boar, roe deer, red deer, spotted deer) and populations of its main competitors - brown and Himalayan bears, wolves, as well as the specifics and consequences of interpopulation interactions between two large species of cats - the tiger and the Far Eastern leopard.

The issue of creating a state information center is also being considered, which should contain information on the state of tiger populations in particular and rare species of animals in general. The current method of counting the number of tigers needs to be adjusted.

In addition to purely scientific goals, the Amur Tiger program also provides for the solution of popular science, educational and social tasks. The goal of the program is not only to draw attention to the problem of protecting rare and common animal species in Russia, such as the Amur tiger, snow leopard, Far Eastern leopard, beluga whale, but also to tell the widest layers of local residents about the ecology and behavior of these animals.

In March 2009, within the framework of the international scientific and practical conference "The Amur Tiger in Northeast Asia: Conservation Problems in the 21st Century", a draft of a new edition of the "Strategy for the Conservation of the Amur Tiger in Russia" was adopted, prepared by a specially created working group of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia.

Devices for the study of tigers

camera traps

Camera traps (models from LifRiver and Reconix are used) are a kind of remote surveillance cameras. They are installed at certain intervals in the taiga along the paths of a possible tiger.

Each tiger has its own pattern on the skin, like humans have fingerprints. Each camera trap has a special flash card installed. Based on the data obtained (a kind of fingerprinting), scientists draw up individual cards for each tiger living in this place.

Camera traps are installed in such a way that they photograph the animal from both sides at the same time - this is the only way to make an individual portrait of each predator.

Special hinges

To catch a tiger, scientists use special loops manufactured by the Canadian-American company Margo Supplies LTD. To attract a tiger, a special mark is left on the tree under which the device is installed. Like all cats, the tiger goes for the smell of valerian. The trap is carefully camouflaged so that the beast does not suspect anything.

It is very important that the tiger gets into the trap with its front paw. Then he won't have room to jump. There is a known case when a tiger got into a trap with its back paw and broke it, trying to free itself.

When the animal gets caught in the loop, the transmitter, which is connected to the loop with a special fishing line, changes the signal.

The tiger is a very smart animal. He is cunning and subtly senses danger. So a tiger caught in a trap is a great success for the researcher.

Pneumatic devices for immobilizing tigers

To immobilize the tigers caught in the loops for the purpose of their subsequent research, pneumatic guns with an optical sight from Dan-inject are used. The gas pressure is adjusted using a special pressure gauge depending on the distance of the shot. This is a special carbine for firing syringes. With it, you can shoot the beast from a distance of up to 40 m.

Zoletil and Medetomidine, currently used to immobilize all large predators including the tiger. The dose of the drug depends on the weight of the animals. In a sleeping state, the animal can be from 30 to 40 minutes. All procedures for immobilization and veterinary examination of tigers are carried out by specialist veterinarians. The chief veterinarian of the Moscow Zoo M. V. Alshinetsky takes part in the work.

All captured animals undergo ultrasound and take blood tests from them, after which they put a satellite collar around their neck.

Satellite collars

After the tiger gets into the loop, he will be put on collars with satellite GPS-navigators and transmitters from Sirtrack (New Zealand), Lotec (Canada) and Telonics (USA), as well as the Russian GLONASS system. Information about the location of the animal will be sent to the computer of scientists in real time. The tiger quickly gets used to the transmitter, which is small in weight. The battery of the collar lasts for about a year and a half, after which it automatically comes unfastened.

Molecular genetic methods for the study of tigers

Large-scale comprehensive studies using molecular genetic methods have not been carried out so far. This method is based on the analysis of microsatellite regions of nuclear DNA (blood and excrement are used). The structure of these DNA fragments is individual for each animal. The microsatellite parts of DNA used for individual identification have a different number of di-, tri-, tetranucleotide repeats and, as a result, different lengths.

Studying the Amur tiger in the Ussuri Nature Reserve

From each of the captured predators, scientists take blood, hair and excreta samples for molecular genetic and hormonal studies. In addition, all animals are marked with ear tags and put on GPS-Argos collars.

On August 31, 2008, during Vladimir Putin's visit to the Ussuri Nature Reserve, a tigress was caught. After the predator was put on a satellite collar, she was released. However, in November the tigress fell into the noose again. Scientists decided to give her the name Earring: the fact is that the syringe with sleeping pills got into her in such a way that in the photo then it looked like an earring in her ear.

On October 20, 2009, Serga the tigress was caught again. They took off her collar, which had worked for exactly a year, and put on a new one instead. It turned out that the cubs had chewed off the transmitting satellite antenna from her old collar, which is why scientists could only track her with the help of a VHF transmitter. The tigress was measured again, biological samples were taken from her, the collar was replaced with a new one with fresh batteries.

From the old collar, we managed to get all the data on Earring's adventures during the year - these are 1222 locations, 16,500 activity measurements, 6 full daily moves. The data downloaded from the collar made it possible to obtain detailed information about the movements of the tigress over the past year. The habitat of the beast was almost 900 square meters. km, and only 56% of the locations turned out to be within the Ussuriysky Reserve, the rest - outside it. The tigress actively used, among other things, the territories in the immediate vicinity of settlements - the villages of Kamenushka and Mnogoudobnoe.

On October 26, 2009, another tiger was caught in the Ussuriysky Reserve, which was named Boxer. He was about a year and a half old, he weighed 120 kg. Scientists have suggested that this is the son of Earrings, one of her three cubs. Subsequent genetic studies in the laboratory of the Institute confirmed this version: Boxer really turned out to be the son of Earrings.

In the spring of 2009, a one and a half year old tiger cub was caught in the reserve, left an orphan after the death of a tigress. He was given the nickname Oleg. Captured in a weakened state, on September 16, 2009, after rehabilitation in captivity, the cub was released into the wild. This is the world's first such experiment on the return of the tiger to nature.

This tiger cub, which weighed 60 kg, was transported for rehabilitation at the end of May 2009, was kept in a large enclosure, which is a fenced area of ​​the forest, and had the opportunity to regularly hunt sika deer, training hunting habits. By mid-September, the animal's milk fangs had changed to permanent ones, its body weight had reached 90 kg, and it had learned to effectively hunt ungulates.

To date, with satellite collars under the supervision of scientists is already whole group tigers of different ages. A database has been created that contains the results of using camera traps for photo-identification of tigers, the results of molecular genetic and hormonal analysis, as well as the results of tiger traces.