Program - Amur tiger. Vladimir Putin's programs to save rare animals Presidential program to save the Amur tiger
The program for studying the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East is an independent project within the framework of the permanent expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences to study animals from the Red Book of the Russian Federation and other especially important animals of the fauna of Russia, which was created in 2008 on the basis of the institution. The scientific leader of the expedition is Academician Dmitry Sergeevich Pavlov, Director of the Institute of Economics and Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences; the head of the expedition is Doctor of Biological Sciences Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Rozhnov, deputy. Director of IPEE RAS.
The Amur Tiger Program aims to develop a scientific basis for the conservation of the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East. The main objective of the program is to study the spatial structure of the Amur tiger population, the movements and numbers of these cats in Russia, and the nature of their use of space. In addition, scientists are studying the reproductive biology of the species, habitat characteristics, feeding habits and food resources, as well as the distribution and population dynamics of the tiger's main prey species, and relationships with other competing predators.
To clarify the adaptive capabilities of the species in modern changing environmental conditions, it is necessary to: study the structure of its habitat and assess the long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems of the Russian Far East, habitat modeling using GIS technologies to predict the distribution of the Amur tiger. An important component of the program is the study of the structural and functional organization of populations of the main prey species of the Amur tiger - ungulates (wild boar, roe deer, wapiti, sika deer) and populations of its main competitors - brown and Himalayan bears, wolves, as well as the specifics and consequences of interpopulation interactions of the two large cat species - tiger and Far Eastern leopard.
The issue of creating a state information center is also being considered, which should contain information on the state of tiger populations in particular and rare animal species in general. The existing method of counting the number of tigers requires adjustment.
In addition to purely scientific goals, the Amur Tiger program also provides for the solution of popular scientific, educational and social problems. The goal of the program is not only to draw attention to the problem of protecting rare and common animal species in Russia, such as the Amur tiger, snow leopard, Far Eastern leopard, beluga whale, but also to tell the widest range of local residents of the regions about the ecology and behavior of these animals.
In March 2009, within the framework of the international scientific and practical conference “The Amur Tiger in North-East Asia: Conservation Problems in the 21st Century,” a draft of a new edition of “Conservation Strategies for the Amur Tiger in Russia” was adopted, prepared by a specially created working group of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources.
Tiger Research Devices
Camera traps
Camera traps (models from LifRiver and Reconix companies are used) are unique remote surveillance cameras. They are installed at certain intervals in the taiga along the possible routes of the tiger.
Each tiger has its own pattern on its skin, just like a person has fingerprints. Each camera trap has a special flash card installed. Based on the data obtained (a kind of fingerprinting), scientists draw up individual cards for each tiger living in this place.
Camera traps are installed in such a way that they photograph the animal simultaneously from both sides - this is the only way to create an individual portrait of each predator.
Special hinges
To catch tigers, scientists use special snares produced by the Canadian-American company Margo Supplies LTD. To attract a tiger, a special mark is left on the tree under which the device is installed. Like all cats, the tiger follows the scent of valerian. The trap is carefully camouflaged so that the animal does not suspect anything.
It is very important that the tiger gets into the trap with its front paw. Then he won't have room to jump. There is a known case where a tiger fell into a trap with its hind paw and broke it while trying to free itself.
When an animal gets caught in a loop, the transmitter, which is connected to the loop with a special fishing line, changes the signal.
The tiger is a very smart animal. He is cunning and subtly senses danger. So a tiger caught in a trap is a great success for the researcher.
Pneumatic devices for immobilizing tigers
To immobilize tigers caught in snares for the purpose of their subsequent examination, pneumatic guns with an optical sight from Dan-inject are used. The gas pressure is adjusted using a special pressure gauge depending on the distance of the shot. This is a special carbine for shooting syringes. With its help you can shoot at an animal from a distance of up to 40 m.
The drugs used for immobilization are Zoletil and Medetomidine, which are currently used to immobilize all large predators, including the tiger. The dose of the drug depends on the weight of the animals. The animal can remain asleep for 30 to 40 minutes. All procedures for immobilization and veterinary examination of tigers are carried out by veterinary specialists. The chief veterinarian of the Moscow Zoo, M.V. Alshinetsky, is taking part in the work.
All captured animals undergo an ultrasound and blood tests are taken, after which a satellite collar is placed on their neck.
Satellite collars
After the tiger is caught in the snare, it will be fitted with collars equipped with satellite GPS navigators and transmitters from Sirtrack (New Zealand), Lotec (Canada) and Telonics (USA), as well as the Russian GLONASS system. Information about the location of the animal will be sent to the scientists’ computer in real time. The tiger quickly gets used to the light-weight transmitter. The collar's battery lasts for about a year and a half, after which it automatically detaches.
Molecular genetic methods for studying tigers
Large-scale comprehensive studies using molecular genetic methods have not been carried out to date. This method is based on the analysis of microsatellite regions of nuclear DNA (blood and excrement are used). The structure of these DNA fragments is individual for each animal. The microsatellite parts of DNA used for individual identification have different numbers of di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide repeats and, as a result, different lengths.
Study of the Amur tiger in the Ussuri Nature Reserve
From each of the captured predators, scientists take samples of blood, hair and excrement to conduct molecular genetic and hormonal studies. In addition, all animals are marked with ear tags and GPS-Argos collars are placed on them.
On August 31, 2008, during V.V. Putin’s visit to the Ussuri Nature Reserve, a tigress was caught. After they put a satellite collar on the predator, she was released. However, in November the tigress was caught in a snare again. Scientists decided to give her the name Earring: the fact is that the syringe with sleeping pills got into her in such a way that in the photo it later looked like an earring in her ear.
On October 20, 2009, the tigress Serga was captured again. They took off her collar, which had worked for exactly a year, and put a new one in its place. It turned out that the cubs had chewed off the transmitting satellite antenna from her old collar, which is why scientists could only track her using a VHF transmitter. The tigress was measured again, biological samples were taken from her, and the collar was replaced with a new one with fresh batteries.
From the old collar we were able to obtain all the data on Earring’s adventures throughout the year - these are 1222 locations, 16,500 activity measurements, 6 full daily movements. Data downloaded from the collar made it possible to obtain detailed information about the tigress’s movements over the past year. The animal's habitat was almost 900 square meters. km, and only 56% of the locations were within the Ussuri Nature Reserve, the rest were outside its borders. The tigress also actively used territories in the immediate vicinity of populated areas - the villages of Kamenushka and Mnogoudnoe.
On October 26, 2009, another tiger was caught in the Ussuri Nature Reserve, which was named Boxer. He was about a year and a half old and weighed 120 kg. Scientists have suggested that this is Serga’s son, one of her three tiger cubs. Subsequent genetic studies in the Institute's laboratory confirmed this version: Boxer really turned out to be the son of Earring.
In the spring of 2009, a one-and-a-half-year-old tiger cub, left orphaned after the death of the tigress, was captured in the reserve. They gave him the nickname Oleg. Captured in a weakened state, the tiger cub was released into the wild on September 16, 2009, after rehabilitation in captivity. This is the world's first such experiment to return the tiger to the wild.
This tiger cub, which weighed 60 kg, was transported for rehabilitation at the end of May 2009, kept in a large enclosure, which was a fenced area of the forest, and had the opportunity to regularly hunt sika deer, training its hunting habits. By mid-September, the animal had replaced its milk teeth with permanent ones, its body weight had reached 90 kg, and it had learned to hunt ungulates effectively.
Today, a whole group of tigers of different ages is already under the supervision of scientists with satellite collars. A database has been created that contains the results of using camera traps for photo-identification of tigers, the results of molecular genetic and hormonal analysis, as well as encounters with traces of tigers.
02/03/2012 | Vladimir Putin's programs to save rare animals
In 2008, work began on several programs related to the study of rare and especially important animals in Russia. All programs are implemented with the support of the Chairman of the Russian Government Vladimir Putin. A permanent expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences was created at the Russian Academy of Sciences to study animals from the Red Book of the Russian Federation and other especially important animals of the fauna of Russia. Almost all species of animals studied by this expedition are listed not only in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, but also in the International IUCN Red List.
The programs provide for educational work among the local population. It is important not only to draw attention to the problem of protecting rare and common species of animals in Russia, such as the Amur tiger, snow leopard, Far Eastern leopard, white whale (beluga), but also to tell the widest range of local residents of the regions about the ecology and behavior of these animals.
Amur tiger study program in the Russian Far East
Amur Tiger Program Its goal is to develop a scientific basis for the conservation of the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East. The main objective of the program is to study the spatial structure of the Amur tiger population, the movements and numbers of these cats in Russia, and the nature of their use of space. In addition, scientists are studying the reproductive biology of the species, habitat characteristics, feeding habits and food resources, as well as the distribution and population dynamics of the tiger's main prey species, and relationships with other competing predators.
The program includes studying the structure of tiger habitats, assessing the long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems in the Russian Far East, and modeling habitats using GIS technologies to predict the distribution of the Amur tiger. An important component of the program is the study of the structural and functional organization of populations of the main prey species of the Amur tiger - ungulates (wild boar, roe deer, wapiti, sika deer) and populations of its main competitors - brown and Himalayan bears, wolves, as well as the specifics and consequences of interpopulation interactions of the two large cat species - tiger and Far Eastern leopard.
The work uses such devices for researching tigers as camera traps, special loops for catching tigers, pneumatic guns with an optical sight to immobilize tigers, and satellite collars. Molecular genetic methods are being carried out to study tigers.
On August 31, 2008, during V.V. Putin’s visit to the Ussuri Nature Reserve, a tigress was caught. After they put a satellite collar on the predator, she was released. However, in November the tigress was caught in a snare again. Scientists decided to give her the name Earring: the fact is that the syringe with sleeping pills got into her in such a way that in the photo it later looked like an earring in her ear.
On October 20, 2009, the tigress Serga was captured again. They took off her collar, which had worked for exactly a year, and put a new one in its place. It turned out that the cubs had chewed off the transmitting satellite antenna from her old collar, which is why scientists could only track her using a VHF transmitter. The tigress was measured again, biological samples were taken from her, and the collar was replaced with a new one with fresh batteries.
From the old collar we were able to obtain all the data about Earring’s adventures throughout the year - these are 1222 locations, 16,500 activity measurements, 6 full daily movements. Data downloaded from the collar made it possible to obtain detailed information about the tigress’s movements over the past year. The animal's habitat was almost 900 square meters. km, and only 56% of the locations were within the Ussuri Nature Reserve, the rest were outside its borders. The tigress also actively used territories in the immediate vicinity of populated areas - the villages of Kamenushka and Mnogoudnoe.
On October 26, 2009, another tiger was caught in the Ussuri Nature Reserve, which was named Boxer. Scientists have suggested that it is. Subsequent genetic studies in the Institute's laboratory confirmed that this is Serga's son, one of her three tiger cubs.
In the spring of 2009, a one-and-a-half-year-old tiger cub, left orphaned after the death of the tigress, was captured in the reserve. They gave him the nickname Oleg. Captured in a weakened state, the tiger cub was released into the wild on September 16, 2009, after rehabilitation in captivity. This is the world's first such experiment to return the tiger to the wild.
Beluga-White Whale Program
Beluga-White Whale Program aims to study the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas). The beluga whale is not an endangered or rare species, but is a recognized indicator species of the state of Arctic marine ecosystems. The objective of the program is primarily to study the distribution, seasonal migrations and abundance of beluga whales in Russian seas, as well as to clarify the current status of its various populations throughout the Russian range, study the characteristics of the habitat, nutrition, and relationships with other species. To do this, scientists from the Institute of Ecological Economy of the Russian Academy of Sciences use the most modern methods: satellite tagging (telemetry), aerial surveillance, veterinary and genetic research. Traditional methods of coastal visual observations are also used.
Summer 2009 V.V. Putin took personal control of the Belukha-White Whale program, the main task of which is to study the seasonal migrations and abundance of beluga whales in Russian seas. The transmitter installed by V.V. Putin has stopped working, but the study of beluga whales continues.
In July-August 2009, satellite transmitters were installed on 3 in the area of Chkalov Island. They transmit data on the movement of beluga whales via the ARGOS satellite system. The transmitters had to follow the movement of the animals for six to nine months and determine not only the route of their movement, but also give a lot of new information about their relationships with each other and between individuals from other populations of the Sea of Okhotsk.
The aerial observation program was carried out over 40 days from late July to mid-September 2009. Animal censuses were carried out by a large group of zoologists. For the first time, an AN-38 Vostok laboratory aircraft has been created for the Far East, equipped with the latest technology specifically for observing marine mammals. For the first time in a fairly short period of time, almost the entire coast of the Sea of Okhotsk was surveyed, with the exception of the Kuril Islands. The main places of concentration of beluga whales, seals and whales during this period have been identified.
Irbis (snow leopard) study program in southern Siberia
Program "Irbis - snow leopard" was started in 2010 and is designed for 5 years. In the Red Book of the Russian Federation, the snow leopard is assigned category 1 - a species “threatened with extinction at the limit of its range.” The number of snow leopards in the Russian part of their range is about 50 animals. The main goals of the program are to study the state of populations throughout the snow leopard's range in Russia, identify key reproductive nuclei and groups, and develop the scientific basis for the long-term conservation of the snow leopard (snow leopard) in southern Siberia in Russia. Scientists are studying the spatial structure of the snow leopard population, the movements and numbers of these cats in Russia; developing methods for counting snow leopards; are studying the reproductive biology of the species, habitat characteristics, feeding habits, distribution and population dynamics of the main prey species, relationships with other competitive predators, and are also working on a strategy for the conservation of the snow leopard in Russia and the preparation of recommendations for its conservation.
One of the most important objectives of the project is an educational program for the local population, students and schoolchildren, increasing knowledge about the native nature of local residents. Program participants actively collaborate with the local press, telling journalists about the features and habits of this amazing animal. The Khakass branch of the Russian Geographical Society, formed in the fall of 2010, provides assistance to scientists in order to ensure their work in the Khakassky Nature Reserve, the Pozarym Nature Reserve being created, and in other specially protected areas of the region.
In their work, scientists use camera traps, satellite collars, as well as molecular genetic, hormonal, non-invasive research methods
In the future, scientists plan to work throughout the Russian part of the snow leopard’s range. There are also plans to coordinate activities to estimate the abundance and study the biology of the species with the scientific communities of the countries of the Altai-Sayan region (Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan), where similar research is being conducted.
Polar Bear Research Program in the Arctic
In April 2010, a comprehensive expedition of the Institute of Economics and Ecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences took place under the Polar Bear Program within the framework of the Grant of the Russian Geographical Society to the area of the Arctic archipelago of Franz Josef Land. The goal of the Program is to study, preserve and restore the polar bear population in the Russian Arctic.
Currently, the main threatening factors for the polar bear are: industrial development of the Arctic, pollution and destruction of habitats, direct destruction - poaching. A factor limiting polar bear movements is the seasonal state of sea ice. One of the main objectives of the expedition was to test the method and technology for organizing satellite tagging work in the remote Arctic territory of the Franz Josef Land State Nature Reserve.
In unfavorable weather conditions, with strong winds and frost below -20°C, for almost a month of work, scientists managed to catch and immobilize 4 male polar bears. Two of them were wearing Russian-made satellite collars, which continue to work at the moment, although the first tagged bear dropped the collar.
Vladimir Putin, together with scientists, put a satellite collar on a bear caught in a special trap
In August 2008, V.V. Putin, together with specialists from the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka, took part in a scientific expedition to study the gray whale. V.V. Putin shot a whale from a crossbow with a special arrow in order to take a piece of gray whale skin for analysis. In May 2010, the head of the Government released one of two female leopards brought from Iran from a cage into the enclosure of the Sochi National Park.
Recently, at a meeting with Tomsk students, Vladimir Putin said that he considers it necessary to introduce additional economic mechanisms to protect the environment.
On the eve of the presidential elections in the Russian Federation, it is worth recalling that the only chance to preserve Russia’s wildlife is to continue working to preserve and improve the environmental situation in the country, create conditions for stopping poaching and a reasonable approach to the use of the country’s natural resources, including hunting.
The program for studying the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East is being implemented as an independent project within the framework of the Permanent Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the study of animals from the Red Book of the Russian Federation and other especially important animals of the fauna of Russia, created and included in the Institute of Ecological Economy of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the basis of the Order of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences dated February 29 2008 No. 12300-128
Purpose of the program- development of scientific foundations for the conservation of the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East.
Objectives of the Program:
- Studying spatial structure of the Amur tiger population, movements and the nature of his use of space.
- Studying reproductive biology Amur tiger.
- Zoological and veterinary examination Amur tigers from the natural population.
- Study of interpopulation interactions of the tiger with other species of predatory mammals.
- Studying nutrition, food resources, distribution and population dynamics of the main tiger prey species.
- Preparation of a new edition of the Strategy for the Conservation of the Amur Tiger in Russia, development of recommendations for monitoring the Amur tiger population and its conservation.
Tiger (Panthera tigris)- belongs to the genus of large cats. This cat is very large in size: body weight of males up to 320 kg, females up to 180 kg, body length of males up to 290 cm, females up to 190-200 cm, tail length of males 115 cm, females up to 110 cm.
The Amur tiger - the largest and most beautiful subspecies of the tiger - lives in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, the Amur region. Included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The population size, according to the latest data obtained in 2005, is estimated at 400-500 individuals. Favorite habitats are low mountains, river valleys, paddocks, overgrown with Manchurian-type vegetation with a predominance of cedar and oak. The basis of nutrition is large and small ungulates. The tiger leads a solitary lifestyle in an area of up to 1000 square meters. kilometers or more. The size of the habitat and its structure can be influenced by a number of factors, such as: the depth of the snow cover, the density of the prey population (the presence of herds of ungulates - wild boar, roe deer, wapiti, sika deer), anthropogenic impacts (deforestation, poaching, the presence of roads, ongoing hunting of ungulates).
Currently, the Amur tiger population exists in conditions of an acute shortage of suitable habitats and adequate amounts of food - wild ungulates. This causes an increase in the mobility of individual individuals and the appearance of a tiger outside its current area of distribution.
To clarify the adaptive capabilities of the species in modern changing environmental conditions, it is necessary to study the structure of its habitats and assess the long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems of the Russian Far East, modeling habitats using GIS technologies to predict the distribution of the Amur tiger. An important component of the program is the study of the structural and functional organization of populations of the main species of prey of the Amur tiger - ungulates (wild boar, roe deer, wapiti, sika deer) and populations of its main competitors - brown and Himalayan bears, wolves, as well as the specifics and consequences of interpopulation interactions of two large cat species - tiger and Far Eastern leopard.
A pressing issue is the creation of a state information center, which should contain information about the state of tiger populations in particular and rare animal species in general. The method of counting the number of tigers also requires adjustment.
The Amur tiger (also known as the Ussuri, Siberian, Altai, Korean, Manchurian or North Chinese) is one of the smallest subspecies of tigers and the largest of them.
The body length of Amur tigers is approximately 2 m, the tail is 1 m. Males are a quarter larger than females. The weight of an adult animal can reach 300 kg. The largest recorded mass of a tiger is 384 kg. The tiger has enormous physical strength: it can drag a horse carcass along the ground for more than 500 m.
The tiger's skin has a beautiful color: there are transverse dark stripes along the red background on the back and sides. It is believed that the pattern of stripes is unique to each tiger: you are unlikely to meet two animals with the same pattern on their skin. The striped color, despite its brightness, is camouflage.
The average lifespan of a tiger is approximately 15 years. It can live up to 50 years, but usually dies earlier.
The tiger is at the top of the food pyramid of a unique ecological system - the Ussuri taiga. The state of the tiger population is an indicator of the state of the entire Far Eastern nature.
The tiger is a predator, feeding exclusively on animal food, mainly large prey. He has to devote most of his time to hunting, since only one out of ten of his attempts is successful. The tiger's diet mainly consists of wapiti, wild boar and sika deer. For the prosperous existence of one tiger, about 50-70 ungulates (wapiti, sika deer, roe deer or wild boar) per year are needed. When these animals are scarce in nature, tigers feed on badgers and raccoon dogs and can attack livestock and dogs. The Amur tiger can not only hunt, but also fish: during spawning, it catches fish on the rifts of mountain rivers. A tiger can eat up to 30 kg of food in one sitting, and its daily requirement is 9-10 kg of meat.
If there is enough food, the tiger quickly gets fat: the thickness of his subcutaneous fat often reaches 5-6 cm. Thanks to this, he can easily starve for a week or even more between two successful hunts, and in winter he can make long journeys to new territories. However, in snowy winters, tigers really starve and sometimes even die from exhaustion.
Contrary to popular belief about the cannibalism of the Amur tiger, it rarely enters populated areas and attacks humans. On the contrary, he tries in every possible way to avoid meeting people, although he is less afraid of them than other large animals. A predator attacks a person only when wounded or cornered.
The tiger is characterized by a solitary lifestyle, like most felines. It adheres to a certain individual area, but sometimes makes long journeys in search of food. The tiger leaves special marks at the boundaries of its territory. Usually these are odorous marks: the predator sprays urine on trees or stones. Sometimes he scrapes on the ground, in the places of the marks. In addition, the tiger rips off bark from trees with the claws of its front paws - such scratches are found at a height of 2-2.5 m above the ground. The height of these marks can tell about the size of the animal that left them. An adult male protects his territory from aliens. The tiger sorts things out with strangers, demonstrating its strength by roaring. Fights are rare.
Tigers greet each other with special sounds that are formed by vigorously exhaling air through the nose and mouth. They can also express affection by touching their heads, muzzles, and rubbing their sides.
The Amur tiger is a silent animal. Some zoologists who have been observing it for many years have never heard a tiger roar. However, during the rutting season, tigers roar often, especially females. If the predator is irritated, it growls dully and hoarsely, and in rage it characteristically “coughs.” In a good mood, a tiger purrs like an ordinary domestic cat.
Tigers breed approximately once every two years. These animals are polygamous: in the territory of one male, from one to three females can live. If a tiger has rivals, it can enter into a fight with them.
The pregnancy of a tigress lasts 95-112 days. There are usually two to four tiger cubs in a litter. During the week after giving birth, the tigress is constantly close to the cubs. Males do not take part in caring for the offspring. Until three or four months, the tigress only occasionally leaves her cubs for a few hours. Then the cubs begin to walk with their mother, learn to look for prey, and master hunting methods. The cubs stay with the tigress for at least one and a half to two years. Even when they begin an independent life, they still live in a group on their mother’s property for several months. Young tigers do not know how to hunt well, so they often go hungry. In search of food, they follow the tracks of the tigress to pick up the remains of her prey. Tigers become sexually mature at three to four years of age, but only half of the cubs born survive to this age.
The tiger's habitat is southeast Russia, the banks of the Amur and Ussuri, northeast China (Manchuria), and northern North Korea. It is found almost everywhere in the Primorsky Territory (except for the Khorolsky region) and in the eastern regions of the Khabarovsk Territory. The northern border of the distribution area runs approximately 49 degrees. With. w. The length of the range from north to south is approximately 1000 km, and from west to east - 600-700 km. Ussuri tigers are most common in the foothills of the Sikhote-Alin, in the Lazovsky district of Primorsky Krai. The tiger's habitat is the valleys of mountain rivers and padis with forest vegetation of the Manchurian type with a predominance of oak and cedar. The tiger also lives in pure cedar trees, in mountains with deciduous plantations, and inhabits secondary forests. In winter, when there is a lack of natural food, it often stays in the vicinity of populated areas. Each adult tiger lives in a specific habitat, the average size of which for females ranges from 250 to 450 square meters. km, for males - up to 2000 sq. km.
The Amur tiger is one of the rarest representatives of the world fauna. In the mid-19th century, the tiger population was large, but at the end of the 19th century, up to 100 animals were exterminated annually, so by the end of the 30s of the 20th century, the Amur tiger was on the verge of extinction: only no more than 50 individuals remained on the territory of the USSR. The main reasons for the decline in the population are the destruction of natural habitats (forests and bushes), a reduction in the number of main food items (various ungulates), as well as the direct extermination of tigers by poachers.
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