At the end of November 2011, a one day training workshop took place at Sikhote-Alin State Nature Biosphere Reserve in Primorski Krai (Russian Far East),  to train inspectors in judicial procedure. The training will hopefully increase the rate of successful prosecutions that can be made against poachers who are apprehended inside the protected area. The training forms part of a collaboration between four important protected areas in Primorski Krai, the Wildlife Conservation Society,  United States Agency for International Development, Phoenix Fund and Zoological Society of London.  The goal of this multi-national collaboration is to build capacity with protected area inspectors to combat poaching of the Amur tiger and to restore the population of this endangered species. Over the course of the year, similar trainings have been held for wildlife inspectors in the implementation of a MIST (Management Information System) based approach to anti-poaching patrols.  This is based on GIS technology and provides technical and strategic input to enhance patrol effectiveness.  Please download the full text here. 

Health experts from Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, Primorskaya State Agricultural Academy, and Moscow Zoo uncover how distemper may be affecting Siberian (Amur) tigers.
A team of Russian veterinary colleagues and health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo are collaborating to understand how distemper – a virus afflicting domestic dogs and many wildlife species – may be a growing threat to Siberian (Amur) tigers.

 On June 8-10th a three-day training workshop on the MIST program took place at Sikhote-Alin State Nature Biosphere Reserve in Primorsky Krai (Russian Far East), to train inspectors in the use of the latest techniques in wildlife protection. The training forms part of a collaboration between four State Nature Reserves/National Parks containing important tiger habitat - Lazovsky, Kedrovaya Pad, Sikhote-Alin and Zov Tigra - the Wildlife Conservation Society,  United States Agency for International Development, Phoenix Fund and Zoological Society of London. The goal of this multi-national collaboration is to build capacity with protected area officials to combat poaching of the Amur tiger and to restore their populations.