On the night of January 27, specialists from Primorsky Krai's Wildlife Management Department and the Wildlife Conservation Society responded to a call about an abandoned tiger cub found near a village in southern Primorsky Krai. Dogs had chased the cub into a small space between two heating pipes. The cub was brought to a rehabilitation center in the city of Ussuriisk, where the next day WCS staff immobilized the animal and conducted a medical exam. The tiger turned out to be a female, 3-4 months of age.

In all likelihood, this cub's mother was killed by poachers. At such a young age, tigers are not able to hunt on their own, and this young tigress would have died had specialists not responded to the situation. Currently plans are being made for her further rehabilitation, although her return to the wild may be highly unlikely.

Poaching is the number one threat to the Amur tiger. Read more about the Amur tiger and about WCS's work to respond to tiger-human conflict situations.