The Amur tiger is a rare species. Lazovsky State Reserve Which reserves do the Amur tiger live in?

Contrary to my assumptions, poaching is not the only threat to the extinction of the Amur tiger. Actually, there are two types of poaching - VIP poaching (by officials) and social poaching (by the hands of ordinary hunters). The first type, according to the director of the Primorsky branch of the ANO Amur Tiger Center Sergei Aramilev, was “dealt with” quite quickly. At the 2010 tiger summit, Putin publicly stated that he loves tigers and worries about their fate. With these words, the flow of orders for tiger skins decreased by 90 percent. As for social poaching, it has not yet been defeated anywhere in the world. However, it is worth noting that now hunting the Amur tiger is no longer as profitable (and not as safe) as it was in the 90s. In those days, one predator could buy two jeeps or build a cottage...

So, even if we assume that tomorrow there will not be a single poacher left in Primorye, this does not guarantee tigers a quiet life. The tiger is part of the system of the animal world, where everyone depends on each other. Firstly, the predator’s habitat has become smaller due to the growth of populated areas. They are, of course, trying to solve this problem by establishing protected areas and national parks, but still - before the tiger had more space for life. Secondly, the life of a tiger depends on its so-called “food supply” - the animals that the predator hunts. This is where a huge field opens up for indirect, indirect work to preserve the subspecies.

The tiger eats wild boars and ungulates. If there are no such people in the forest, the tiger will go to the villages, which will not please either the residents or the tiger. The number of wild boars depends on the harvest of acorns. If the year turns out to be lean, environmentalists set up feeding bases, helping wild boars survive difficult period. If, on the contrary, the year turned out to be good and the number of wild boars increased sharply, there is a risk of the spread of swine fever. In this case, it is necessary to vaccinate animals to prevent an epidemic. A separate story with ungulates...

The range of problems that can affect the life of a tiger is wide and falls under the responsibility of a number of agencies, departments and various social institutions. Often they do not see the problem as a whole or cannot quickly agree with each other. This is why the Autonomous non-profit organization"Amur Tiger Center", which is designed to unite all structures and quickly solve certain problems. Quickly providing inspectors with satellite communications, finding and delivering vaccines for animals, or even lobbying for amendments that would tighten the responsibility for hunting “Red Book” animals - these, as well as many other issues, are resolved by Sergei Aramilev and his team.

And now I propose to board a helicopter and go to the Call of the Tiger National Park and its surrounding areas to see with your own eyes feeding bases, camera traps and traces of wild Amur tigers...

We took off early in the morning, when all of Vladivostok was covered in fog:

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I remember Grishkovets “How I Ate the Dog.” Vladivostok also met the future writer with morning fog:

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Still, from a bird's eye view, even a monotonous winter landscape looks incredible:

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Please note that the hills are covered with snow on only one side:

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You can clearly see where the southern slope is and where the northern one is:

After some time, the haze began to clear:

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We flew over the Call of the Tiger National Park:

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The Milogradovka River stands out with a turquoise ribbon against the background of gray rocks:

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The river is replete with beautiful rapids and waterfalls, including the highest in Primorye - the Podnebesny waterfall (a cascade of three waterfalls, 19, 25 and 15 meters high) and the Snake's Sting waterfall:

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Then we went down to the slopes where roe deer and sika deer live. It is very difficult to see animals from a helicopter. They become noticeable only when they start moving:

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Try to find the animals here, determine how many there are in the photo and what kind of animals they are:

Frightened by the sound of the blades, the wild boars ran under us. I think I understand the essence of the expression “to rush like a hog”:

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And here are those same animal feeders. In this case, feed for wild boars:

Ungulates need salt and special “licks” are installed for them - feeding with salts and minerals:

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Children are often brought to the hunting grounds on an “excursion”. In particular, special observation towers were built for them next to the feeding stations:

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Half an hour later, luck smiled on us - we found the footprint of a tiger. The tiger has an interesting gait. If you look at the tracks, they seem to be double. The tiger raises his hind paw and places it in front of his front paw. Moreover, the tracks are to the left of the right paws, and to the right of the left:

Where a tiger is most often spotted, reserve staff install camera traps. They react to movement. Thanks to these photographs, you can trace the fate of specific tigers in the reserve:

Sergey collected flash drives from the traps and is viewing the “catch” on his netbook:

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Unfortunately, over the last period (less than a month) not a single tiger fell into the trap. But you can look at old photos:

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One of the traps is set near a tree, which the tiger marks to mark its territory. At a level above human height, you can see claw marks, and a dark spot on the tree is his urine. The tiger rests its hind legs on the tree and stands upside down in front of it. The higher the spot, the larger the tiger. If another tiger wanders into this territory, he will immediately understand whether he should contact the local tiger or whether it is better to move on:

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We return to the city. There are forest plantations below us:

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Ski resort near Vladivostok:

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National Park"Call of the Tiger" was founded on June 2, 2007, but Far Eastern scientists spoke about the need to organize a protected area here 20 years before its creation. Initially, it was planned to form a national park called "Verkhne-Ussuriysky", but by the time the Russian government decree was issued, the park received a different name, and its boundaries were adjusted.

Relief, climate and general information about Call of the Tiger National Park

Within territorial limits dominates continental climate , which has pronounced monsoon features. The warmest month in coastal areas is August, average temperature this month is 19.2°C. IN central regions July is the warmest month - its average monthly temperature equal to 18.1°C. If we talk about the mountain slopes of the river Cherna and Kievka, then the most high temperatures recorded in July and August – 21.4°C and 21.3°C, respectively.

In January, the most low temperatures: on the coast from -12°C and within the boundaries of the southwestern region of the national park to -20.9°C. A significant portion of precipitation occurs in the warm season.

Flora and fauna of Call of the Tiger National Park

In the park you can observe plants of the Manchurian flora, as well as representatives of the Okhotsk flora. IN Park Call of the Tiger lichens grow total which reaches 89 species.

The protected area is home to a significant number of mammals: Amur tiger , Himalayan bear, brown bear, weasel, otter, mink, weasel, sable, badger, harza, raccoon dog, fox, red and gray wolves, leopard, cat, Far Eastern raccoon, musk deer, goral, roe deer, sika deer, wapiti, wild boar, northern pika, mountain hare and others.

The order of rodents is represented by the common flying squirrel, Manchurian squirrel, chipmunk, Asian wood mouse, field mouse, Siberian red vole and others.

The Amur tiger is the largest and northernmost subspecies of tiger on the planet. Today he is one of the 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 exchange of photomonitoring data between specially protected “tiger” natural areas almost absent. 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 working on tiger census using camera traps, so all we all need is to just collect reports from all territories in time, combine them and draw general conclusions,” says Svetlana Sutyrina, deputy director for scientific work FSBI "Sikhote-Alin 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. The event at the Land of the Leopard office brought together representatives of federal reserves and national parks where tigers are recorded - 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 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.

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.

The 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 the cat family, in Lately increasingly smaller in size than those living in national parks India. These related subspecies were once comparable in size, but the Ussuri tiger began to become smaller due to its proximity to humans, or more precisely, due to economic activity the last one.

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.

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. At chance meeting With 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 Amur tigers often celebrate their 20th anniversary in zoological parks.

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 to the taiga, and he became not only the most visited pet 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.

Location: Russia, Far Eastern federal district, Primorsky Krai.

Square: 121 thousand hectares

Area of ​​the security zone: 15 thousand hectares

Specialization: preservation and study natural complexes cedar vines deciduous forests southern Sikhote-Alin, protection and restoration of populations of valuable and rare animals living in them, for example, the Amur tiger, Amur goral, Far Eastern leopard, giant shrew, common longwing, Ussuri sika deer.

In 1935, the Sudzukhinsky (now Lazovsky) nature reserve was organized in the south of the Sikhote-Alin region. At first it was a branch of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve. The protected area was designated for the purpose of protecting and studying the natural complexes of liana coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests of the Southern Sikhote-Alin. In prehistoric times, alternating cold and warm periods in the south of the Far East led to a mixture of southern and northern forms of life, which determined high degree biodiversity in this area.

In addition to preserving forests, the Lazovsky Nature Reserve was created to protect the animals that lived there and were on the verge of extinction. The “risk group” includes the Amur goral, wild sika deer, and sable. By this time, tigers did not live permanently on the territory of the Sudzukha Nature Reserve. The reason for this is their widespread, sometimes merciless, unmotivated destruction. Tigers were killed, without thinking about the consequences, throughout the Far East, and not just in a single area.

With the support of Russian Geographical Society employees of the reserve are implementing the project “Lazovsky District - a model territory for preserving and increasing the number of tigers (or how many tigers can live in the south of the Russian Far East).” Its goal is to identify the factors that determine the number, density and structure of the tiger group in the reserve, and to establish the reasons why these characteristics are optimal here. To do this, it is also necessary to study in detail the relationship of the tiger with other species, to know the number, density, and feeding habits of all animal species with which the tiger interacts.

With the creation of nature reserves, the ban on hunting the Amur tiger and the capture of tiger cubs, the inclusion of the predator in the International Red Book and the Red Books of the USSR and the RSFSR, the number of this animal increased, and the tiger began to populate its former habitats. In the territory Lazovsky Reserve Tracks of the striped predator have been recorded again since 1947. By the end of the 70s of the 20th century, tigers had mastered all protected area. Since that time, reserve staff have annually registered from 8 to 16 adult and sub-adult individuals and 2-3 litters, which can contain up to eight cubs.

Densest Population

The number of tigers is determined during winter censuses. The reserve's staff records all the traces of predators they encounter in the snow, following regular routes. Counters note not only the tracks of tigers, but also the tracks of ungulates. During this work, tiger tracks are measured and their age is determined. By comparing the results of observations, it is possible to obtain information not only about the number of tigers, but also to determine the nature of the movement in the number of the species being studied, and also to compare different territories with each other in terms of the density of both this striped cat and ungulates.

It turned out that the number and density of tigers, as well as ungulates, in the reserve are significantly higher than in the adjacent territory, which differs only in its protection status. In addition, there are more tiger cubs in the reserve, and their survival rate is higher.

Monitoring of the Amur tiger population shows that the Lazovsky Reserve supports the highest density of tigers and ungulates within the range of this predator. Currently, the tiger density in the Lazovsky Nature Reserve is twice the average tiger population density in other areas of the south of the Russian Far East. Thus, the reserve can be considered a model site for the restoration of the tiger population and its study.

In addition, during the study of the tiger in the reserve, extensive material was accumulated on other species living here that are associated with the tiger. These are primarily the animals that the striped cat hunts - sika deer, wild boar, wapiti, roe deer, Himalayan and brown bears, badger, raccoon dog.

Few tigers or many?

It should help answer the question of how many tigers could live in the Russian Far East if habitat protection is at the proper level a joint project reserve and the Russian Geographical Society “Lazovsky district is a model area for preserving and increasing the number of tigers (Or how many tigers can live in the south of the Russian Far East).”

To implement the project, it is necessary to use not only traditional methods of studying striped cats (tracing tracks, route survey of the territory), but also modern methods studying animals using digital automatic video and photo cameras. The latter are installed in places where tigers are most likely to pass: near trees, rocks, on which these predators leave odorous signals, that is, marks.

The archive of the reserve already contains photographs of all the tigers living on its territory. Striped predators are distinguished by the pattern on their skin, which, like a human fingerprint, is strictly individual. Based on confiscated skins and photographs of killed tigers, reserve staff can identify an individual if it lived in the reserve.

Tiger food

An increase in the number of tigers and its return to its former habitats could not occur without an increase in the number of the basis of its diet - wild boar, wapiti, sika deer, and roe deer. Lazovsky’s scientists were able to trace the switch of the tiger’s food preference from wild boar and wapiti to sika deer, which occurred in the early 90s of the 20th century.

Adult tigers can prey on large animals, including brown and Himalayan bears, but the nutrition of young tigers has not been studied enough. It is likely that great importance Their diet includes small animals: young ungulates, badgers, raccoon dogs and others. There is also little information about the diet of tigers during the snowless season. Studying the species of prey hair that remains in the excrement of predators and which is studied using a microscope will help fill this gap. To know the tiger's food reserves, censuses of the number of herbivores are carried out in winter along routes and sample sites, recording animal tracks. As for those species that hibernate in winter, camera traps come to the rescue from spring to autumn.

Research conducted in the reserve showed that the tiger has no serious food competitors in terms of ungulates. But for small animals that young individuals can prey on, interspecific competition can be quite intense. To answer this question, it is necessary not only to count the number of other predators (lynx, harza, fox and others) that live in the reserve and constitute food competition for young tigers, but also to study their diet.

Sometimes tigers can go out to settlements and attack domestic animals, creating conflict situations, thereby putting themselves in danger. To solve this problem, special techniques have been developed to repel tigers - these include substances that cause taste aversion to a certain type prey from predators, and scaring missiles that are installed near the remains of tiger victims. The animal approaches the half-eaten carcass, the missile goes off, the predator runs away and, as a rule, attacks on domestic animals stop. Using these measures, employees of the reserve and the organization “Society for the Protection of Tigers” help wean tigers from a certain hunting area.

The reserve's staff always conducts research on the bodies of dead tigers and other animals. This is necessary both to determine the reasons for their death and to identify various diseases.

All this will help assess the health of the tiger population and associated animals.

Help in studying tigers

The text was prepared based on the work of a senior researcher at the Lazovsky Nature Reserve, Ph.D. biological sciences Galina Salkina.

Photo: press service of the Lazovsky Nature Reserve