Lazovsky State Reserve. Reserved Primorye: the land of rare cats, pristine taiga and sea oases Ussuri Reserve Amur tiger

Description of the Amur tiger

Babr (from the Yakut “baabyr”) is the name in Rus' for the Siberian tiger, now known as the Far Eastern, Ussuri or Amur tiger. Panthera tigris altaica (the Latin name of the subspecies) is recognized as one of the most impressive in the cat family, surpassing even in size. Nowadays, the Amur tiger is depicted on the flag/coat of arms of the Primorsky Territory and the coat of arms of Khabarovsk.

Babr adorned the coats of arms of Yakutsk (since 1642) and Irkutsk, until he turned into a “beaver” under Emperor Alexander II due to the fault of an overly zealous champion of spelling, who served in the heraldic department. The error was later corrected, but on the coats of arms of Irkutsk and the region there is still a strange black animal with a large tail and webbed paws, carrying a sable in its teeth.

Appearance

Amur tiger - the most beautiful wild cat with a characteristic striped coloring of a flexible body crowned with a rounded head with proportional ears. Babr, like all cats, is armed with 30 sharp teeth and tenacious claws, which help tear carcasses and climb trees.

The predominant color background (red) is replaced by white on the chest, belly and whiskers. Transverse black stripes cross the body and tail, turning into symmetrical black stripes on the head and muzzle.

To escape the harsh winter, the Amur tiger is forced to grow thick hair and accumulate a solid (5 cm) layer of subcutaneous fat, which protects the predator from frostbite.

A huge tiger can move without unnecessary noise, which is explained by the shock-absorbing ability of its wide paws with soft pads. That is why the babr silently walks and runs through the summer Ussuri taiga, without falling into high snowdrifts in winter.

Size of the Amur tiger

The Amur tiger, classified as one of the largest representatives of the cat family, recently it is increasingly inferior in size to those living in the national parks of India. These related subspecies were once comparable in size, but the Ussuri tiger began to shrink due to its proximity to humans, or more precisely, due to the latter’s economic activities.

Fact. The average Amur tiger stretches up to 2.7–3.8 m in length, weighs 200–250 kg and grows from 1 to 1.15 m at the withers.

Zoologists suggest that individual individuals can gain 300 kg or more, although a less impressive record is officially registered - 212 kg. It belongs to a male with a radio collar attached to his neck.

Lifestyle, behavior

Unlike the lion, the Amur tiger, like most felines, does not join prides, but prefers a solitary existence. An exception is made only for females, who, together with their brood, can live in the male’s territory, which usually reaches 600–800 km². The female's home range is always smaller, approximately 300–500 km².

The male vigilantly monitors the inviolability of the boundaries, marking them with secretory fluid and leaving deep scratches on the trunks. The Amur tiger, despite its size, easily climbs into the crowns of old oak trees and even onto the tops of tall spruce trees.

The animal does not go beyond its territory if there are many ungulates grazing on it, but if necessary, it is able to travel from 10 to 41 km. The tigress covers a shorter distance per day, from 7 to 22 km. The Amur tiger can drag a horse carcass for more than half a kilometer without visible fatigue, and when light and in the snow it is capable of accelerating up to 80 km/h, second only in agility to the tiger.

Interesting. The predator distinguishes colors well, and in the dark its vision is 5 times sharper than that of a human, which is perhaps why it likes to hunt at dusk and at night.

The Ussuri tiger is extremely silent: at least this is what naturalists say, who have observed the animal in nature for years and have never heard its roar. The tiger's roar is heard only during the rut - females are especially zealous. A dissatisfied babr growls hoarsely and dully, switching to a characteristic “cough” when angry. A peaceful tiger purrs like a domestic cat.

When greeting a comrade, a tiger uses special sounds produced by sharp exhalation of air through the nose and mouth. Friction of sides and contact of muzzles tell about the peaceful attitude of predators.

The Amur tiger is far from a cannibal (unlike the Bengal), which is why it tries to avoid humans and bypass their housing in every possible way. If you accidentally encounter a tiger, it is better to stop without trying to run, and slowly give way without turning your back to it. You can talk to him, but only in a calm and confident voice: a scream that turns into a pig squeal is more likely to stir up the tiger’s interest in you.

From the middle of the last century to the present time, no more than 10 cases of Amur tiger attacks on humans have been recorded within the boundaries of settlements in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories. Even in its native element, the Ussuri taiga, a tiger very rarely attacks hunters pursuing it.

How long does the Amur tiger live?

The lifespan of the babr in nature is 10, less often – 15 years. In ideal conditions of zoological parks, Amur tigers often celebrate their 20th birthday.

Fact. Lyuty is considered one of the oldest Amur tigers, having lived for 21 years in the Khabarovsk Utes wild animal rehabilitation center.

Lyuty was caught in the taiga, carelessly injuring both jaws, after which the tiger developed osteomyelitis, which was surgically stopped in 1999. And the very next year Lyuty sported a new fang made of a silver-palladium alloy with gold plating, thanks to a unique operation performed by Russian and American doctors.

The injured mouth did not allow Lyuty to be returned back to the taiga, and he became not only the most visited pet at the rehabilitation center, but also the hero of numerous enthusiastic reports.

Sexual dimorphism

The difference between the sexes is manifested, first of all, in weight: if female Amur tigers weigh 100–167 kg, then male ones are almost twice as much - from 180 to 306 kg. Research in 2005 conducted by zoologists from Russia, India and the USA showed that in terms of weight, modern Far Eastern tigers are inferior to their ancestors.

Fact. Historically, the average male Amur tiger weighed about 215.5 kg, and the average female weighed about 137.5 kg. Nowadays, the average weight of females is 117.9 kg, and that of males is 176.4 kg.

Sexual dimorphism is also visible in the lifespan of the Amur tiger: females live less than males. The latter withdraw from the upbringing and education of their offspring, entrusting all parental functions to the mother, which noticeably shortens her earthly lifespan.

Range, habitats

The Amur tiger is found in a relatively limited sector, most of which is a protected zone - this is China and the southeast of Russia, namely the banks of the Amur / Ussuri in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories.

As of 2003, the highest concentration of predators was observed in the foothills of Sikhote-Alin (Lazovsky district of Primorsky Krai), where every sixth Amur tiger lived. In general, when choosing habitats, tigers try to be closer to their main food (ungulates), and also proceed from the height of the snow cover and the presence of shelters, for example, creases or dense thickets of bushes.

The Amur tiger often settles in such biotopes as:

• mountains with deciduous trees;
• mountain river valleys;
• padi with forests of the Manchurian type, where oak and cedar predominate;
• clean cedar forests;
• secondary forests.

The Amur tiger has been displaced by humans from low-lying landscapes suitable for agriculture. In retaliation, babrians often inspect the outskirts of neighboring settlements in winter, when their usual food supply becomes scarce.

Diet of the Ussuri tiger

It is very difficult to obtain such a number of ungulates, considering that only one out of 6-7 attacks ends in success. That is why the predator hunts a lot, eating everything that is smaller than it: from the Manchurian (glove-sized) hare to the Himalayan bear, which is often equal in mass to the tiger itself.

Primorsky Krai has long been known for its unique natural resources, the diversity of which can amaze even the most experienced nature lover. Most of the territories of the region are classified as specially protected. Nature reserves and national parks, unique mountain and coastal landscapes, grandiose natural monuments - all this allows Primorye to occupy an important place in international system nature conservation, as well as to be a prominent point on the map of world eco-tourism. On the eve of the Day of Nature Reserves and National Parks, which will be celebrated in Russia on January 11, RIA PrimaMedia invites its readers to get acquainted with the protected Primorye region.

The kingdom of the rarest cat on planet Earth - the Land of the Leopard National Park

The rarest cat on the planet, the Far Eastern or Amur leopard, lives exclusively in the Primorsky Territory. Moreover, its habitat is limited to a relatively small territory of the southernmost regions of the region - Khasansky and Nadezhdinsky.

Far Eastern leopard. Photo: Gennady Yusin

The rapid economic development of these areas, as well as poaching and uncontrolled hunting, which resulted in a reduction in the leopard’s food supply, brought this magnificent representative of the cat family to the brink of extinction. Only at the end of the 20th century did the Russian government pay attention to the rapid decline in the number of the Far Eastern leopard and began to develop a “Strategy for the conservation of the Far Eastern leopard in Russia.” On June 5, 2012, by order of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources No. 145, the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve became part of a new environmental structure - the Federal State Budgetary Institution "United Directorate of the State Natural Biosphere Reserve "Kedrovaya Pad" and the Land of the Leopard National Park."

Enormous scientific and educational work to preserve the graceful predator has now reached a new level. The creation of a national park made it possible to count the number of cats, as well as create conditions for replenishing the population. Broad educational environmental actions, organized by employees of the reserve and national park, made it possible to draw attention to the problem of an endangered species of a rare predator.

In 2013, an increase in the number of leopards was recorded for the first time. Camera traps placed on the territory of the national park began to record female leopards with kittens, which indicates that the conditions created for these graceful animals were not in vain.

Leopard Typhoon. Photo: camera trap, courtesy of the Land of the Leopard Federal State Budgetary Institution

According to the latest census conducted by national park specialists, the number of Far Eastern leopards has increased to 70 individuals.

In addition, another rare cat is found on the territory of the national park; the owner of the Ussuri taiga is the Amur tiger.

The Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve itself, which celebrated its centenary in 2016, is a standard area of ​​the South Ussuri taiga that has preserved relict black fir-liana-broad-leaved forests. More than 900 species of vascular plants grow here, which accounts for almost half of all plant species in the Primorsky Territory and makes Kedrovaya Pad the richest plant complex in the region. Far East.

Ginseng. Photo: Vadim Borovsky, courtesy of WWF

Only here you can find eight species of maple, five species of birch, and some plants are found only in the reserve and its environs.

The joint directorate of the national park and reserve is doing a lot of work not only to preserve and replenish the number of the Far Eastern leopard, to study it, but also to popularize careful attitude to nature and the development of eco-tourism.

The Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve is a forest treasure of the Far East. Photo: courtesy of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Land of the Leopard"

For several years now, a unique a tourist route“Leopard’s Lair”, in which nature lovers from all over the world can see with their own eyes the caves where leopards raise their offspring, as well as get acquainted with environmental activities in the national park.

Participants of the excursions visit places for feeding animals, examine numerous camera traps installed to monitor the inhabitants of the national park, and also enjoy amazing natural complex around the Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve. Currently, the staff of the national park are developing other ecological routes that can satisfy the thirst for knowledge. unique nature these places from different sides. In 2017, which in our country has been declared the Year of Specially Protected Natural Areas, the national park will launch its second eco-trail - the “Leopard Path”.

The reference taiga of the southern Sikhote-Alin - Ussuri Nature Reserve

On the southern spurs of the great Sikhote-Alin, on the territory of two districts of Primorye at once, there is an amazing natural reserve - the Ussuri Nature Reserve of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences named after. Academician V.L. Komarova. Created back in 1932 as the Suputinsky Nature Reserve on the territory of the Ussuriysk and Shkotovsky districts of the Primorsky Territory on the initiative and with the direct participation of the country’s leading botanist Academician Komarov, this specially protected natural area has become a place comprehensive study forest complexes southern Sikhote-Alin and the development of measures for their protection. Until 1972, the area of ​​the reserve was 16.55 thousand hectares; currently its area has been expanded to 40.43 thousand hectares. The reserve received its current name in 1973.

99% of the reserve's territory is occupied by forests, predominantly cedar-broad-leaved. They are distinguished by high species diversity and in terms of this indicator have no analogues either in Russia or within the borders of the former USSR. The flora of the reserve is represented by the richest species diversity. In total, 868 species of vascular plants, 252 bryophytes, 118 lichens, 1364 fungi, 210 species of algae and about 50 species of ferns have been recorded in the reserve.

Ussuri Nature Reserve. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

There are often areas of cedar forests where up to 50-60 species of trees, shrubs and vines grow alone. The species richness of the grass cover is even greater, in which many rare plants, including valuable Red Book items medicinal plant- real ginseng. Rare species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation also include hard juniper, calopanax seven-lobed, Chinese prinsepia, dense-flowered pine, pointed yew and tall yew.

Mount Zmeinaya in the Ussuri Nature Reserve. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

Rare animals are also diligently protected in the reserve: Amur tiger, mandarin duck, black stork, Ussuri clawed newt. Rare species in the reserve also include the broadmouth, callipogon and relict cockroach. The largest beetle in Russia's fauna, the relict barbel, lives on the territory of the reserve. The Ussuri Nature Reserve is an area of ​​permanent scientific research, including those having economic importance(study of honey plants, medicinal and fruit plants).

Small mountain rivers Artemovka and Komarovka flow through the territory of the reserve, overflowing during the monsoon rains. The relief of the reserve is formed by the southern spurs of the Sikhote-Alin ridge (Przhevalsky Mountains) and includes low mountains, the height of which, in general, does not exceed 300-400 meters. In the northern part of the reserve there are limestone outcrops that form a picturesque rock massif in the middle reaches of the Suvorovka River with Mount Zmeina.

Those who manage to visit the once favorite place of work and recreation of the legendary scientist and president of the USSR Academy of Sciences will be able to enjoy the untouched pristine nature of the Ussuri taiga, follow in the footsteps of the Amur tiger, and also see the academician’s house, built in the very heart of the reserve using a unique technology. Visitors to the northern part of the natural reserve will take an excursion to the mysterious Sleeping Beauty cave, which contains one of the main archaeological mysteries of Primorye.

House of Academician Komarov in the Ussuri Nature Reserve. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

UNESCO World Natural Heritage - Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve

The Sikhote-Alin State Biosphere Nature Reserve is the pride of the Primorsky Territory. The northernmost of the coastal reserves - the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve - the first natural Park in the Far East, included in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List. In addition, it became the first in Russia and the second in the world (after the Nepalese Chitwan National Park) specially protected natural area to be certified as tiger habitats by CA|TS.

To this he owes his achievements in protecting and studying his main pride - the Amur tiger.

Amur tiger. Photo: Vasily Solkin

The Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is the most convenient place to observe the largest cat on the planet, which makes it a place of attraction for tourists from all over the world.

In recent years, two unique ecological trails have been created on the territory of the reserve, allowing tourists to get acquainted with the amazing natural world of this unique place. One of the important features of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is that on its territory you can find the rarest representative family of artiodactyls - the Amur goral. The reserve is home to several dozen animal species included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, including the Amur tiger, Ussuri sika deer, white-tailed eagle and many others.

The pristine natural landscapes of Sikhote-Alin will not leave indifferent anyone who visits here at least once.

Mount Camel in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

Realizing this, the staff of the reserve are actively working to introduce the residents of Russia and the whole world to the unique natural potential of the reserve. Fans of ecotourism will be offered to take one of four ecological routes, each of which is unique in its own way.

Route "Urochishche Yasnoye" will allow tourists to get acquainted with the amazing cedar-broad-leaved forests and see with their own eyes all the stages of regeneration of cedar forests. Here you can also find a unique plant listed in the Red Book - calypso orchid.

The Golubichnaya River in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

Visitors to the excursion route "Urochishche Kabany" will be able to get acquainted with various types of vegetation of the eastern macroslope of Sikhote-Alin and rare communities of the Russian Far East. Tourists will get acquainted with virgin cedar-spruce and spruce-fir forests. This is the only place in Russia where a very rare, relict plant grows - the Fori rhododendron. The excursion route will allow you to get acquainted with another relict species of flora - the pointed yew, as well as large trees - Maksimovich poplars, which are famous for their size. Some specimens of these giants are so huge that their hollows are used as dens by Himalayan bears.

The main object of the excursion route "Cape Northern" is a rookery for spotted seals (larg) on ​​the rocks of Cape Severny.

Northern Cape. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

The excursion introduces tourists to the life of spotted seals that live in these places all year round. At the same time, up to 400 seals accumulate on the rocks of the cape, and this spectacle cannot leave anyone indifferent. On the way to the rookery, tourists can enjoy the magnificent diversity of the reserve’s flora, as well as encounter traces of the activity of wild boars, sika deer, wapiti, hares, roe deer, traces of a bear and a tiger.

Crooked oak forest in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

Not long ago, the Golubichnaya Bay eco-trail was added to the list.

The Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is preparing to open a new ecological trail in 2017. The picturesque route, 56 kilometers long, will repeat the route of the expedition of the famous explorer of the Far East Vladimir Arsenyev, which he made in 1906, passing, among other things, Sikhote-Alin.

The new route will start from the inspector's hut "Ust-Shandui", which is located 11 kilometers from the Yasnaya tract. According to the traveler's diaries, at the site of this hut at the beginning of the 20th century there stood the Ust-Shundui fanza. "Arsenyev's Trail" will be the first multi-day excursion route, maximally restoring the path of Vladimir Arsenyev's 1906 expedition.

It is planned that tourists will spend 5 days and 5 nights in the forest. They will be delivered to the Ust-Shandui hut by car, where they will spend the first night. The huts are located at a distance of 10-12 kilometers from each other.

The tourism potential of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is so enormous that it will take more than one year to fully develop it. The unique natural reserves of the reserve, the diversity of its landscapes, as well as the focus of the reserve team on the development of eco-tourism, will allow tourists from all over the world to discover the amazing nature of the northern part of the Ussuri taiga again and again.

Yew "treasure" of Petrov Island and protected bays - Lazovsky Nature Reserve

The natural potential of the southwestern Sikhote-Alin in all its glory is represented by the Lazovsky State Nature Reserve named after. L.G. Kaplanova. The beauty of these amazing places can make anyone who decides to visit them fall in love.

Lazovsky Reserve is a world of broad-leaved multi-species forest of the temperate zone and dark coniferous forest with elements of the northern taiga zone.

Lazovsky Reserve. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

This is the habitat of many representatives of the fauna of the coastal taiga, including rare and specially protected species. A special place among them is occupied by the Amur tiger and the Amur goral - the rarest artiodactyl.

Types of the Lazovsky Nature Reserve. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

The “calling card” of the reserve is the largest grove of spiky yew in the entire Far East, located on Petrov Island.

In past years, the rarest cat on the planet, the Far Eastern leopard, also lived on the territory of the existing reserve; however, poaching and a reduction in the food supply led to the fact that the spotted predator ceased to be found in these parts. A group of scientists from different reserves has developed a unique program to return the Far Eastern leopard to the southern spurs of the Sikhote-Alin - to the predator’s former habitat. The uniqueness of the program is that in order to restore the population of the Far Eastern leopard in the Lazovsky region, animals will not be removed from the natural environment, and the first “resettlers” will be adapted cubs of animals from zoos.

This extensive scientific program will last for years and will become a kind of “feature” of the reserve, increasing its already huge tourist potential.

Special attention has been paid to the development of ecotourism in the Lazovsky Nature Reserve for many years. Employees of the specialized department have developed a number of environmental routes that allow tourists to get acquainted with the amazing natural reserve of the southern Sikhote-Alin without violating the strict environmental regime.

The reserve offers its visitors four types of excursions, each of which is aimed at introducing one or another aspect of environmental activities. Available to tourists from May to September route "Tiger Trail", which runs along the coast of the reserve. Participants of the excursion can observe traces of the presence of the Amur tiger in this territory and will become acquainted with scientific methods of studying this striped cat. During the excursion, you will get acquainted with the coastal flora and representatives of forest and marine fauna.

"Through the Ages"- this is a four-hour excursion around the territory of the reserve, after which its participants will see amazing lake Dawn near the bay of the same name and see the relict aquatic plant Schreber's brazia. During the excursion, you will get acquainted with the historical past of these places. Then guests will meet the fabulous stone ensemble of Zarya Bay. During the trip, it is possible to meet sika deer and see tiger tracks.

Route "Secrets of Petrov Island" will allow the tourist to see the untouched nature of the island, which was considered the residence of the princes of the ancient state of Bohai, which has sunk into centuries.

Petrov Island. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

Participants of the excursion will be able to look into the mirror of an ancient well, try to unravel the secrets of the ancient state, and also see the largest yew grove in the Far East.

Yew Grove on Petrov Island. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

In May and June, this amazing place becomes a place for forest poppies and other early flowering plants to bloom. The excursion route “Breath of Spring” will allow you to see this in person.

The enchanting beauty of several protected islands of the Lazovsky Nature Reserve will be revealed to participants boat excursion "Stone Rhapsody". During a sea voyage, it is possible to meet a sealed seal and a white-tailed eagle soaring in the sky. Picturesque bays, graceful stone creations of nature, a small bird market - all this will open before the participants of the excursion.

At the central estate of the reserve there are hotel rooms, a Museum of Nature, an Ecocenter, modern office equipment, communications (including international), Email and Internet, warm garages for vehicles, souvenirs. The reserve provides visa support and registration for foreign citizens.

"Maritime Yellowstone" - Call of the Tiger National Park

The Call of the Tiger National Park, located on the territory of three districts - Chuguevsky, Olginsky and Lazovsky - is one of the most striking natural attractions of the Primorsky Territory. Here, on the southern spurs of the great Sikhote-Alin ridge, five dozen majestic hills that have overcome a kilometer in height are crowned by one of the highest mountains in Primorye - Cloudy. Here, making its way through the pristine taiga, which has never seen a lumberjack’s axe, the taiga plows granite banks and rapids, now calming down on flat plateaus, now boiling up in majestic waterfalls, the most beautiful mountain river Milogradovka. Rare animals live here and a unique diversity of flora has been preserved. This is a place for which nature has established its own special rules and laws.

The valley of the Milogradovka River in the Call of the Tiger National Park. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

A characteristic feature of the Call of the Tiger National Park, which distinguishes it from other protected areas in the region, is its predominantly mountainous terrain. There are more than 50 hills and mountains alone, the height of which exceeds a kilometer. Among them are the highest point of the Primorsky Territory - Mount Oblachnaya (height from the foot - 1854 meters), and the mountain peaks Lysaya and Snezhnaya, popular among lovers of hiking tourism. Within the borders of the national park are the Sister and Stone Brother mountains, beloved by tourists, which, moreover, are a natural monument of the same name.

Each of the majestic mountains of the national park has its own attractions. On the most high peak Cloudy, in addition to gorgeous views, the traveler will find areas of permafrost. The main river of Primorye, the majestic Ussuri, originates on the slopes of Snezhnaya. The peaks Sister and Stone Brother form a grandiose outlier ridge, popularly nicknamed “Dragon’s Teeth”.

On the slopes of Mount Cloud. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

Each of these peaks offers gorgeous panoramas and picturesque landscapes of the national park, and the road to them runs through gorgeous alpine meadows.

The relief of the territory of the national park is characterized by significant dissection: elevation changes range from 155 meters (in the valley of the Milogradovka River) to 1854 meters (Mount Oblachnaya). This feature determines the species diversity of the national park: the local flora has a pronounced altitudinal zone, changing as you gain altitude. Combined with specifics geographical location and climate characteristics, these factors form a truly unique diversity of flora.

Mount Snezhnaya in national park"Call of the Tiger" Photo: courtesy of the National Park "Call of the Tiger"

The picturesque Milogradovka River, which is famous for its beautiful river Primorsky Krai. Many riffles and rapids turning into small waterfalls, the sound of water and stunning surrounding views will make a walk along the river bank unforgettable for its participant.

The traveler who finds himself here first finds himself in cedar-broad-leaved forests, then, as he ascends, into the spruce-fir dark-coniferous taiga, which, with increasing altitude, is replaced by stone birch forests. They, in turn, give way to thickets of dwarf cedar, turning into high-mountain tundra.

Divny waterfall in the national park "Call of the Tiger". Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

In each altitude zone you can find many rare species of flora, both modern and ancient Cenozoic, listed in the Russian and international Red Book.

The territory of the national park is characterized by significant faunal diversity. Almost all the rare, endemic and valuable species of mammals of the south of the Far East live here - the Amur tiger, the Far Eastern forest cat, lynx, wild boar, wapiti, sika deer, roe deer, goral, musk deer and many others.

Endow these Amazing places Far Eastern scientists proposed the status of a specially protected natural area back in Soviet times, but then no concrete decisions were reached.

But in the mid-2000s, the issue of creating a protected area in the south of Sikhote-Alin was revived and was resolved positively in 2007. Government decree on an area of ​​82 thousand hectares for the preservation and restoration of natural and historical-cultural complexes and objects, development and implementation scientific methods nature protection, environmental monitoring, environmental education of the population and creating conditions for eco-tourism" was created national park"Call of the Tiger"

As a separate protected area, the national park did not exist for long and already in August 2014, by order of the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources, it was merged with the Lazovsky State Nature Reserve in the Federal State Budgetary Institution "United Directorate of the Lazovsky State Nature Reserve named after L. G. Kaplanov and the Call of the Tiger National Park."

The unified directorate of the reserve and national park is developing new ecological routes that can satisfy the needs of everyone who wants to experience the beauty of the southern Sikhote-Alin.

Abode of Red Book birds - Khanka Nature Reserve

Lake Khanka and the Khanka State Nature Reserve located in its grounds are the “pearl” of the southwestern part of Primorye. The largest lake in the Far East received the status of a specially protected natural area in 1990, and six years later the governments of Russia and China signed an agreement on a single protected zone of the reservoir, uniting two reserves - the Khanka Reserve and Chinese nature reserve"Shinkai-Hu."

Types of Lake Khanka. Photo: Dmitry Korobov, Khankaisky Nature Reserve

Animal and vegetable world Lake Khanka is incredibly diverse. The famous explorer, traveler-naturalist and writer Vladimir Arsenyev wrote about the name of the lake: “During the Liao dynasty, Lake Khanka was called Beiqing-hai, and now Khanka, Hinkai and Xingkai-hu, which means “Lake of Prosperity and Prosperity.”

The area of ​​the reserve is more than 39 thousand hectares.

Lake Khanka. Photo: portal "Reserved Russia"

The reserve is home to 334 species of birds, of which 140 species nest on Lake Khanka, 44 species are listed in the Red Book of Russia, and 12 species are listed in the International Red Book, the rarest species are Japanese and white-naped cranes, red-legged ibis, spoonbill, etc. The great lake is home to 74 species of fish, 6 species of amphibians and 7 species of reptiles, the main of which is the Red Book of the Far Eastern turtle.

There are 49 rare and endangered plant species growing on the territory of the reserve, including fearsome euryale, Komarov lotus, Schreber brazenia, etc.

Flowering of the Komarov lotus. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

Ecotourism is developing both in the reserve itself and in its surroundings. The environmental education department of the reserve offers tourists educational excursions, and numerous recreation centers in its vicinity offer a wonderful fishing holiday.

Coast of Lake Khanka. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

Marine miracle of Primorye - Far Eastern Marine Reserve

The only reserve in Russia, 98% of whose area is marine waters, the Far Eastern Marine Biosphere Reserve can safely claim the title of one of the wonders of Primorye, as the richest in species diversity water area among the seas of Russia.

In 2003, for the preservation of the gene pool of marine and coastal communities, it was awarded international status within the framework of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere program.

The Far Eastern Marine Reserve was opened in 1978 to preserve valuable species of shelf life Sea of ​​Japan. It includes three areas of water in the Khasansky district and one area on Popov Island (Pervomaisky district of Vladivostok).

There are more than 2 thousand species of marine animals and plants, among them 67 species listed in the Red Book of Russia, and 50 species of birds from the Red Book International Union nature conservation.

According to scientists, more than two thousand spotted seals (spotted seals) live on the territory of the Far Eastern Marine Reserve in Primorye.

The reserve includes the Rimsky-Korsakov Archipelago - a complete protected area, Furugelm Island (aquaculture of sea cucumber, giant oyster, scallop is allowed), Posyet Bay and Popov Island - a nature museum.

Far Eastern Marine Reserve, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

The islands that are part of the reserve are its special pride; they emphasize its historical, aesthetic and scientific value.

11 large and small islands, the total area of ​​which is 1.1 thousand hectares, have a variety of picturesque landscapes that amaze the imagination with the play of colors and pristine beauty. The area of ​​the largest of them - the islands of Bolshoy Pelis, Furugelm and Stenina - reaches almost 400 hectares. The islands are rich in sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, subtropical forests, steppes, swamps, and fresh streams. There are miniature fresh lakes on the islands of Stenina and Bolshoi Pelis.

Far Eastern Marine Reserve, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

Environmental education and development of educational tourism are part of the main tasks of state nature reserves, and the Marine Reserve of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences pays great attention to this.

The reserve implements various shapes tourism: educational, scientific, educational, mass. The Center for Environmental Education of the Far Eastern Marine Reserve has been working in the field of environmental education and educational tourism for more than 30 years.

Furugelm Island. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

The northern region of the reserve is an educational zone designated for the development of mass tourism. This is a territory on Popov Island, located 30 km south of Vladivostok. There are five overland thematic routes across the island, dedicated to botany, biology, geology, and history. Best time visits to Popov Island: May – October, but some excursions are conducted year-round. In addition, the unique museum “Nature of the Sea and Its Protection” operates on the island for tourists.

The southern and eastern sections of the Far Eastern Marine Reserve are intended primarily for scientific work, but, at the same time, are not at all closed to tourism. The objects of display here are geological, archaeological and historical monuments, underwater, coastal and island communities of animals and plants. Bizarrely shaped coasts, compositions of rocks and grottoes, graceful arches and kekurs (rocks standing separately in the sea), underwater, coastal and island communities of animals and plants, magnificent sandy beaches bordered by rocks and pine trees, larga seal rookeries, fortifications, parking areas ancient man II–I millennium BC e. - the calling card of the Far Eastern Marine Biosphere Reserve, the main basis of its tourist attractiveness. The reserve's staff conducts a number of unique excursions, which have no analogues in Russia or the world.

Bird market on Furugelma Island. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

Excursion "The Southernmost Island of Russia" will allow its participants to get acquainted with the unique flora and fauna preserved by the reserve from the anthropogenic impact of the island of Furugelm, which preserves in addition natural resources historical artifacts from different times. Relict plants, bird colonies, unique coastal landscapes, excellent water clarity - all this will appear before those who decide to visit this excursion.

Furugelm Island. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia, Alexander Khitrov

Boat excursion "The Shore of Singing Pines" covers the coasts of the islands of Bolshoy Pelis, Matveev, Durnovo, as well as the islands of the Rimsky-Korsakov archipelago. Participants of the excursion will be able to see the majestic kekur Arka (Sail), a complex of caves and grottoes at the southern tip of the Klerka Peninsula, the picturesque landscapes of a grove of densely flowered pine trees densely covering steep rocky islands, a real “village” of larg and much more. The sightseeing tour ends at the border of the reserve - at the island of the Languishing Heart in Telyakovsky Bay.

A sealed seal rookery on Furugelma Island. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

Excursion "Sand Odyssey" will introduce visitors to the sights of the southern region of the reserve. Here Cape Falshivy Island is connected to the mainland by a unique seventeen-kilometer sand spit, walking along which you can admire natural monuments - the Pigeon Cliff hill, the habitat of many thousands of snakes and the Sudari hill. Participants of the excursion will be able to see amazing lagoons along which gray herons proudly walk in search of food, as well as make a short climb to the magnificent columnar rocks of the cape, from where breathtaking views open up.

The taiga kingdom of the "Russian Amazon" - Bikin National Park

The Bikin National Park, established by a decree of the Russian government on November 3, 2015 in the Pozharsky district of Primorye, is the youngest and largest specially protected natural area in the south of the Far East. The territory of the national park covers 1.16 million hectares of forests in the middle and upper reaches of the Bikin River - the “Russian Amazon”.

Such an honorable comparison with the greatest river The world's Bikin owes its existence to the largest tract of intact cedar-broad-leaved forests in its basin, spread over its basin, which is the largest in the Northern Hemisphere, covering an area of ​​more than 400 thousand hectares. The exceptional global significance of this unique section of the Ussuri taiga in Central Sikhote-Alin was confirmed in 2010, when the Bikin Valley was included in the tentative list of UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites.

Bikin National Park. Photo: Alexander Khitrov

This is the only one large swimming pool, where large-scale logging has never taken place. This territory is almost unaffected by anthropogenic impact, so only here you can get an idea of ​​what the Ussuri taiga looked like before the mid-19th century. In the Northern Hemisphere, there are only two nature reserves of similar size located in these latitudes - Olympic National Park on the Pacific coast of the United States and Grosse Morne on the Atlantic coast of Canada, but they preserve significantly different ecosystems.

The Bikin basin is rich not only in forests. Its territory is home to 51 species of mammals and 194 species of birds, including those listed in the Russian and international Red Books. There are seven species of amphibians, 10 species of reptiles and more than 20 species of fish.

Bikin National Park. Photo: Alexander Khitrov

The main faunal wealth of the Bikin forests is the Amur tiger. The Bikin Basin is a key habitat for this rare predator; about 10% of the entire world population of this subspecies of tabby cat is concentrated here. The “Bikinsky” group of tigers numbers from 30 to 50 individuals, which allows us to consider the national park as a kind of reservoir for preserving the subspecies.

In addition to the exceptional environmental significance National Park "Bikin" is the main place of residence and traditional use of natural resources of the indigenous small people of Primorye - the Udege. This is the first national park in Russia, whose work fully takes into account the interests of indigenous peoples. Hunters living on its territory are endowed with special privileges regarding their tradition

The Amur tiger is unique representative fauna that has survived from the Ice Age and survived all natural disasters. This is one of the largest predators on our planet. The length of the Amur tiger reaches 3 meters (of which 1 meter is in the tail), and its weight is up to 300 kilograms. The Amur tiger has thick, long and fluffy red fur with black stripes on the skin, the number of which reaches 100. It is believed that the pattern of these stripes is strictly individual and will never be repeated in two tigers. Black and red stripes, despite their brightness, help the tiger to blend in environment, be it the taiga or a field with tall grass. In nature, the life expectancy of the Amur tiger reaches ten years. Like any cat, the tiger prefers to “walk on its own,” that is, to conquer territory and get food alone.

Where does the Amur tiger live?

The range of the Amur tiger is the southern part of the Far East, the entire territory of the Primorsky Territory and the south Khabarovsk Territory. The length of the range from north to south is approximately 1000 km, and from west to east - 600-700 km. About 10% of tigers live in northeast China, and an unknown number live in northern North Korea.

How did tigers appear in the Far East?

Less than 100 years ago, tigers inhabited a vast area from eastern Turkey and the Caspian Sea to the Russian Far East in the north and Bali in the south. However, over the last century, the number of tigers in the world has decreased by 25 times - from 100 thousand to 4 thousand. In a number of regions, tigers disappeared completely - in Transcaucasia (1930s), Central Asia(1960s), on about. Bali and Java (Indonesia, 1960-1980s). Currently, tigers are preserved in 14 countries - in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and also, according to some reports, in the DPRK.

There are 6 subspecies of living tigers: Amur, South China, Indochinese, Sumatran, Indian and Malayan. The Amur tiger differs from its southern relatives - it is the largest and the only one capable of living in the snow.

Where is the Amur tiger protected?

In the Russian Far East, the tiger is protected in nature reserves and national parks. These areas of land, water surface and airspace above them are called specially protected natural areas - specially protected natural areas. Protected areas have been completely or partially withdrawn from economic use, and specialists monitor the number of tigers in these territories.

In the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories there are 12 protected areas inhabited by the Amur tiger. First of all, this is the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve, the largest in the Primorsky Territory. The tiger is protected in the Lazovsky Nature Reserve and in the Land of the Leopard National Park, where tigers coexist with Far Eastern leopards, also listed in the Red Book. The following protected areas are also places where tigers are protected: the Anyuisky National Park of the Khabarovsk Territory and the Bolshe-Khekhtsirsky Nature Reserve, united in “ Reserved Amur region", Bastak Reserve, Khingan Reserve, Komsomolsky Reserve, Botchinsky Reserve, Udege Legend National Park and Ussuri Reserve.

How does the Amur tiger live, hunt, and care for its offspring?

Like most cats, the Amur tiger prefers a solitary lifestyle. It lives on a certain piece of land, within which it hunts and breeds. The size of a tiger's personal territory depends on its habitat, the abundance of prey, and, in the case of males, the presence of females in the area. The “domains” of the Amur tiger are, as a rule, large - up to 500 km² for a female and up to 1000 km² for a male. If there is enough food within its territory, the tiger does not leave its territory. Tigers fiercely defend their habitats and mark their territory: they leave a specific smell, loosen the snow and earth, rub against tree trunks or scratch them.

The Amur tiger is active in the evening, in the first half of the night and early in the morning. In search of food on its territory, it walks an average of 9.6 km per day, so it is entitled to adequate rest - up to 12-14 hours.

Tigers hunt exclusively alone, using two hunting techniques: sneaking up on prey and waiting for it in ambush. Tigers usually stalk and wait for prey on trails and near watering holes. Having tracked the animal, the tiger sneaks up on it from the leeward side, moving with short, careful steps, often crouching to the ground. Having approached the prey at a close distance, the tiger overtakes it with several huge leaps (up to 5 meters in length). When approaching prey, the Amur tiger makes a quick dash over a short distance, reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h.

Most females first bear offspring at 3–4 years of age. It is at this age that they become sexually mature. The pregnancy of an Amur tigress lasts 97–112 days (average 103 days). There are usually 2 tiger cubs in a litter, rarely 1, and even less often - 3 or 4. Tiger cubs are born blind and helpless, but after about 6–8 days they begin to see. For the first 6 weeks they feed on their mother's milk. At the age of 8 weeks, tiger cubs become able to follow their mother and leave the den. Young tigers finally become ready for independent life at the age of approximately 18 months, but usually remain with their mother for 2–3 years, and sometimes up to 5 years.

Once independent, young females usually remain close to their mother's territory, while young males travel long distances in search of their own territory; usually they must win their own territory from other males or, if the tiger population in the area is small, they occupy empty territories.

Are tigers dangerous to people?

In the coastal taiga there is not a single predator for which humans would be an object of food. Tiger is no exception.

The tiger does not seek to attack a person, but, on the contrary, takes measures in advance to avoid direct contact. This is confirmed by the words of experienced hunters who claim that seeing an Amur tiger is a rare success. Even the so-called conflict tigers, which approach populated areas in search of food, try not to encounter humans. The Amur tiger has well-developed senses; it is the first to notice a person and leave the meeting place.

But what to do if a meeting with an animal does occur? What to do if he does not run away, but shows aggression, growls, makes warning attacks? The reasons for this behavior may be different - there may be a tiger's prey or its offspring nearby. Perhaps the animal was wounded or was not ready for the meeting and is now showing that it is ready to defend itself.

Your calm voice should calm the beast and yourself. Slowly and calmly retreat back, try to go out into an open area of ​​the forest - a river bed, a road, a clearing, a clearing. Animals don't like open spaces. Do not look the animal in the eyes and do not run away under any circumstances. Any predator, when they see a person running away, has a pursuit reflex. Running away from the beast is also unacceptable for another reason - an accidental escape may occur in the direction of the hidden cubs, and the female will inevitably perceive this as human aggression towards her offspring. In this case, any predator is especially dangerous.

Are people dangerous to a tiger?

The indigenous population of the Russian Far East revered the tiger as a sacred animal - the owner of the taiga - and never hunted it. If people ever encountered a tiger in the taiga, they prayed that the owner would not touch them.

But with the arrival of the first settlers from central Russia The attitude towards animals has changed. At the beginning of the 19th century, in the south of the Russian Far East, the tiger became a common commercial species. 120-150 individuals were caught here annually. For commercial purposes, predators were exterminated, forests were cut down and taiga territories were developed for industrial and agricultural needs, which led to a sharp reduction in the number of these animals.

By the 1930s, the tiger was on the verge of extinction - in wildlife There are no more than 20-30 individuals left.

In 1949, tiger hunting was banned in the USSR, and the USSR became the first of the “tiger” countries to try to stop the decline in the number of the striped predator at the legislative level. The killing of an Amur tiger in the Soviet Union was investigated as thoroughly and relentlessly as the killing of a human being. And it was these measures that led to the fact that the number of Amur tigers increased by more than 10 times by the early 90s of the 20th century. The collapse of the USSR changed everything. The borders opened, and resellers began to come to the country and export raw materials from the country - forests, seafood and Chinese medicine, including those made from tiger. Once again the threat of destruction loomed over the fate of the predator.

Now the world has come to the aid of the Amur tiger ecological community. WWF was one of the first to respond to the new threat of extermination of the Amur tiger. Working together with others public organizations and government services, the foundation equipped and paid for the work of anti-poaching teams, began to fight forest fires, illegal logging of the Ussuri taiga, which destroyed the habitats of this animal. Today, thanks to the efforts made, the tiger population in the Russian Far East is relatively stable.

What factors influence the population size of the Amur tiger?

The main reasons for population decline are destruction natural places tiger habitat, reduction in the number of food resources (various ungulates), as well as direct extermination of tigers by poachers. There is an opinion that medicines made from tiger parts can cure diseases, but there is no scientific evidence of this. Such drugs are not so much medicine as a component of Eastern beliefs.

In China, there are “tiger farms” where more than 5 thousand tigers live in cages. The trade in tiger body parts is banned all over the world, but the owners of the “farms” do not close them in the hope that the ban will be lifted. In China, various parts of the tiger's body - from bones to whiskers - are illegally used to produce pseudo-medicines, mainly to treat impotence. The World Wildlife Fund supports calls to ban tiger farms in China. However, there are serious concerns that if these farms are closed, and the market for medicinal products from tiger parts remains, then a new threat of poaching will loom over our population of wild Amur tigers.

In 2002, more than 1,400 people were involved in protecting the tiger, its habitats and food resources. In 2009, the total number of inspectors was halved to 760 people, and their funding was cut by more than half. Currently, responsibility for tiger conservation has been transferred to the constituent entities of the federation. On the territory of nature reserves and national parks, tigers are protected by their conservation services, and in non-reserve areas by the departments for the protection, control and regulation of the use of wildlife in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories.

In addition to poachers, tigers also have complex relationships with local residents. Try to imagine yourself in the place of a person who has a real live wild tiger breathing down his neck every day in the forest. It is quite natural that a significant part of the non-urban population of Primorye treats the tiger as a dangerous neighbor. He experiences fear, dislikes him and perhaps dreams of getting rid of him. WWF is spending a lot of effort to change the attitude of the local population towards the tiger. But this is a difficult and lengthy process.

Why does the tiger need to be protected?

According to experts, one tiger needs to eat at least fifty adult ungulates per year. It feeds on wild boars, wapiti, sika deer, roe deer, and sometimes preys on elk, Himalayan and brown bears, badgers and raccoon dogs.

Hunters often ask the question: does the tiger interfere with the conservation of the animals on which it feeds? No.

Many years of research have shown that the tiger is the “softest” predator, which is simply not able to seriously reduce the number of ungulates. Where hunters are serious about raising game numbers to a new level through various activities, tiger numbers are also starting to rise. However, soon the number of tigers living in this “supermarket” becomes stable, and the number of ungulates continues to increase. But where the tiger disappeared, a wolf instantly comes. The wolf, unlike the tiger, knows how and can seriously undermine the number of ungulates. Therefore, the tiger occupies an important place in the ecosystem of the south of the Far East.

Russia is home to the largest and northernmost predatory cat in the world - the Amur tiger. People call the animal by the name of the taiga - Ussuri or by the name of the region - Far Eastern, and foreigners call the animal the Siberian tiger. In Latin, the subspecies is panthera tigris altaica. There is no difference, but the official name is still Amur tiger.

Characteristic

The Amur tiger is a predator from the cat family, the genus panther, and the class of mammals. Belongs to the tiger species and is a separate subspecies. The size is almost like a small car - 3 meters, and the weight is three times less - an average of 220 kg. By nature, males are a quarter larger than females.

Rare The animal has thick, long hair - it protects from taiga frosts, and the black stripes on it camouflage it from enemies. The coat of the Amur tiger is not as bright and striped as other subspecies. The color does not change in winter and summer - it remains red, but in winter it is a little lighter than in summer. The animal has rather wide paws - they help it walk in deep snow.

Black stripes serve as camouflage © Camera trap NP “Land of the Leopard”

Thick wool protects from taiga frosts © Maia C, Flickr.com

The symbol of the Far East is listed in the International Red Book. In the 1930s, hunters exterminated 97% of Far Eastern tigers. To save the animal from extinction, the state banned hunting, and since the 1960s the number began to grow. Over 90 years, the population has increased 20 times, but this is not enough: the Amur tiger still has the status of a rare animal.

Life expectancy depends on conditions. In captivity, an animal will live up to 20 years because it has a safe home, food and veterinarians. In the wild taiga, the opposite is often the case: frost -40°C, lack of animals for food, struggle for free territory, poaching. In freedom, tigers live a happy life, but only half as long - about 10 years. Although this is enough to live longer than their fellow species.

Habitats of the Amur tiger

The Amur tiger lives in the southern part of the Far East. The main habitats are on the banks of the Amur and Ussuri rivers in the Khabarovsk Territory and at the foot of the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in the Primorsky Territory. Also, some of the animals were located in the Jewish Autonomous Region.

Some of the animals live in nature reserves, national parks and reserves - “Sikhote-Alinsky”, “Lazovsky”, “Bikin”, “Land of the Leopard”. Inspectors protect territories from poachers and rescue injured animals. It doesn’t look like a zoo: predators live in free conditions, without restrictions on movement. But there is a problem - there is not enough space for the entire population, and 80% of the subspecies lives in unprotected taiga forests and hunting grounds.

Far Eastern tigers choose to live in the cedar-broad-leaved forests of the Ussuri taiga. If logging is not stopped, the animals will lose their home.

Russia has the largest population of Amur tigers - the pride of the Far Eastern taiga. Among all subspecies of tigers, Russia ranks second - we have 13% of the world population, the first place remains with India. Sometimes Amur tigers make a cross-border crossing: by land or river they travel from Russia to neighboring countries - China or the north of the DPRK. But this does not prevent our country from leading in the number of individuals.

Nutrition

The tiger is the top of the food chain in the ecosystem of the Ussuri taiga. This means that the entire Far Eastern nature depends on its numbers: if there is no tiger, there will be no nature. To prevent this from happening, there must be enough ungulates in the habitat.

10 kg
a tiger should eat meat a day

The main diet is wild boars, sika deer, wapiti and roe deer. If these animals are not enough, tigers feed on badgers, raccoons, hares, fish, and sometimes kill bears. In severe famine, Amur tigers attack livestock and dogs. But to be well-fed and healthy, one tiger still needs fifty ungulates a year.

Lifestyle

Ussuri tigers are solitary by way of life. The male meets with the female for a couple of days, does not participate in raising the cubs, and the female also lives her own life after reaching sexual maturity of the offspring. Amur tigers They even go out hunting alone, although it is more difficult to get food this way.

Amur tigers live for years in one territory if there is enough food around. And only the factor of its absence can force them to move to another place. The tiger's territory is secured by scent marks, scratches in the ground, and scratches in the trees. So, if strangers decide to enter his territory, it will be only because of impudent behavior - then a fight will occur.

The Amur tiger hunts by walking around its territory. He sees the prey, crawls closer to it, arches his back and rests his hind legs on the ground. If you manage to remain unnoticed, after the jump the predator takes the trophy, but according to statistics, only one to ten attempts are successful.

Amur tigers are solitary by way of life © Leonid Dubeykovsky, WWF Russia

A tiger hunts, walking around its territory © Vladimir Filonov, WWF Russia

1 out of 10 attempts to get food ends in success © Viktor Nikiforov, WWF Russia

Each cat has its own place: the female needs 20 km2, and the male 100 km2 of the Far Eastern taiga. Tiger cubs settle in places hidden from strangers, which the mother arranges in thickets, crevices and caves. One male has 2-3 females with offspring in his territory.

Amur tigers breed once every two years. After 3-4 months, the tigress gives birth to two to four cubs. First, the mother feeds the cubs with milk; they taste meat only at two months. The mother is with her children around the clock only for the first week, then she goes hunting. Until the age of two, the tigress teaches the cubs to get food, and they live with her. Tiger cubs become mature by the age of three to four years.

Animals show their emotions through sounds and touches. For example, when they need to greet each other, they exhale rhythmically through their mouth and nose. To show sympathy or tenderness, they rub against each other and purr like domestic cats. When irritated, they wheeze and growl quietly; when angry, they make sounds similar to coughing.

A male can have up to 3 females with cubs © Viktor Zhivotchenko, WWF Russia

Tiger and man

Relationships with humans are a complex issue for Russian tigers. On the one hand, because of people they were on the verge of extinction, but also thanks to people the population grew. The population growth also raised the question: now the animals need more space and food. Again human activity This is hampered by logging, fires and poaching.

Due to the lack of ungulates, predators sometimes come to villages for livestock and dogs, disturbing local residents. From 2000 to 2016, there were 279 such conflicts, in which 33 tigers died. Tigers avoid contact with people: their instincts are responsible for hunting wild animals, and in rare cases, domestic animals. There are two cases when a tiger reacts to a person - he is wounded or has nowhere to run.

At the same time, local residents help the tigers, but they do not harm people. When townspeople encounter the beast near settlements, they call a task force. Conflict minimization specialists arrive and take the predator to a rehabilitation center. In the south of the Far East there are two of them: “Utes” in the Khabarovsk Territory and “Tiger Center” in Primorye.

In rehabilitation centers, animals are fed and cared for, but not allowed to get used to captivity - this is how they preserve their instincts. Before being released into the wild, predators are fitted with a GPS collar: it allows specialists to ensure that the animal no longer comes to people.

The tiger Uporny came to the village of Vyazemsky and killed three local dogs due to lack of food. Residents did not fight and called conflict resolution inspectors. The exhausted predator was taken to the Utes rehabilitation center, and six months later he was released into the taiga, wearing a GPS collar. Thanks to the collar, the center’s staff made sure that the wild instincts did not disappear: Persistent hunted without problems and established connections with other tigers in the wild, but no longer came to people.

The Amur tiger is the largest and northernmost subspecies of tiger on the planet. Today he is one of the rarest cats, listed in the Red Book of Russia and the world. According to the latest route census based on tracks in the snow, there are about 530 tigers in Russia, 25 of which were recorded in the Land of the Leopard National Park.

At the same time, photo monitoring is used to obtain the most accurate information on the number of rare predators in nature reserves and national parks of Russia. According to experts, this method may soon become the main tool for monitoring the Amur tiger population.

However, before today There was almost no exchange of photomonitoring data between “tiger” specially protected natural areas. This became the reason for the initiative to create a general annual report on the status of Amur tiger groups based on photo survey data in protected areas of federal significance.

“We are all already carrying out work on counting tigers using camera traps, so all we all need is to simply collect reports from all territories in time, combine them and draw general conclusions,” says Svetlana Sutyrina, deputy director for scientific work of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Sikhote” Alinsky State Natural Biosphere Reserve.

The proposal of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve was supported by all participants in the meeting of coordinators of the photo census of the Amur tiger in protected areas. At the event at the Land of the Leopard office, representatives of federal reserves and national parks where tigers are recorded gathered - 11 employees from 11 protected areas. In addition to discussion new program, experts shared their experience in photographic recording, and also got acquainted with modern global trends in collecting and processing data from camera traps.

Previously, the need to combine efforts in photomonitoring work was unanimously supported by members Coordination Council SPNA of the south of the Far East, which took place on May 15, 2018 in Vladivostok.

“Land of the Leopard” is rightfully considered one of the most “tiger” protected areas in the predator’s range in the Russian Far East,” notes Dina Matyukhina, senior researcher at the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Land of the Leopard.” - We have already accumulated experience in organizing and conducting photomonitoring of large cats, processing and analyzing data. We are pleased to be part of this important endeavor."

It is planned that the annual report will be open to public access by researchers, and the first results of the program will be announced by the end of 2018. In addition, they will become the basis for scientific publications on the state of the Amur tiger population, including publications at a high international level.