The Siberian (Amur) Tiger, an Endangered Species
A Species Revived, Siberian Tiger Survival is Conservation at Work
Sep 25, 2009
Siberian tigers have stared into oblivion's cold, dead eyes. In the 1940s, the tiger sub-species' extinction seemed a foregone conclusion. With only a couple dozen left in the wild, serious conservation efforts were necessary to secure the tiger's survival.
Today, around 400 of these admirable creatures roam uninhibited in the Russian wilderness. This number may not seem significant, but sixty years of preservation has increased the Siberian tiger population ten-fold. Progress has been slow, but results are significant. Although these tigers remain critically endangered, their increase in number is unquestionably a good start.
What is a Siberian Tiger?
The Siberian or Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is not only the largest of the tiger sub-species (although, on average, the Bengal tiger gives it a run for its money), it is also the largest of all big cats. Males can reach over eleven feet in length (head to tail) and can weigh more than 600 lbs. The average female is shorter than males and weighs little more than half as much as her male counterparts. Like all tigers, Siberian tigers have retractable claws, padded feet, strong jaws, and canines larger than any other big cat's. Their tails can be three feet long.
Due to the cooler climate of their habitats, Siberian tigers have denser and longer winter coats than other sub-species, like the Malayan or South China tigers. Their winter fur is a paler orange - even yellowish - than their coarse summer coats. They have dark black stripes and a white underbelly. Contrary to popular belief, most white tigers are Bengal tigers, not Siberian tigers.
Siberian tigers reach sexual maturity at age four, and litters produce three or four cubs. Males lead solitary lives and will protect their vast territories from other males that do more than just pass through.
Where Do Siberian Tigers Live?
According to Tigersincrisis.com, "[a]lmost all wild Siberian tigers live the Southeast corner of Russia in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range east of the Amur River. Their former range included northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula, and as far west as Mongolia." Today, these tigers are extinct in Korea and rare, if not extinct, in China. They roam far and wide, searching for food or mates. Thus, they need vast expanses of forest in order to survive.
The taiga, or boreal forest, provides such an expanse. In Russia, the taiga is lush, cold, and dense. It is the world's largest forest, its southeastern portion housing both tigers and prey.
What Do Siberian Tigers Eat?
Siberian tigers are carnivores. They eat large mammals, such as deer (red, sika, musk, and roe mostly), moose, wild boar, and goral. However, they also eat small mammals (e.g., rabbits) and fish. They are mostly nocturnal hunters.
Why Are Siberian Tigers Endangered?
Poaching was unquestionably the most serious threat to the Siberian tiger's existence. All tiger sub-species have been hunted by humans since ancient times. Per to the WWF, "tigers are poisoned, shot, trapped and snared, and the majority of these animals are sought to meet the demands of a continuing illegal wildlife trade - which includes traditional Chinese medicine." In 1991 alone, "one-third of the Siberian tiger population was killed to meet the demand for their bones and other parts used in this practice," says Tigersincrisis.com. China made medicinal usage of tiger bones illegal in 1993. However, tiger parts are highly valuable, their trade lucrative even today.
Habitat destruction through human encroachment (logging, agriculture, road construction, development, etc.) fragments tiger habitat. It also brings humans in closer contact with the species, enabling poachers and inter-species conflict.
What Can Be Done to Protect Siberian Tigers?
Like most nations having tigers within their borders, Russia has many laws in place for the animal's preservation. Unlike most nations, Russia actually enforces these laws and enforces them well, so well that the Siberian tiger population is ten times as large as it was 60 years ago.
Still, 400 tigers is a very small number. Conservation efforts must be maintained. Per the WWF, the organization, its partners, and Russian authorities will establish "an ecological network of protected areas (Econet) to secure well-connected habitat for the Amur tiger, [fund] anti-poaching patrols in the Russian Far East and [support] an ungulate recovery programme."
Certainly, Russia and the WWF's efforts have proven effective. If they continue to be so, an endangered species may once again thrive.
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