Amur tigers are once again living in the wild in Kazakhstan after an absence of more than 70 years. The second predator in the Ile-Balkhash Reserve is the male tiger Amur, released on 31 October. He joined the tigress Umit, whose name means “Hope” and who was released into the wild on 31 July.
This is Kazakhstan’s first attempt to restore the population of the big cats, which disappeared from the country in the mid-20th century. The last Caspian tiger in Kazakhstan was killed in 1948. The subspecies itself no longer exists, so scientists chose the Amur tiger, which is its close genetic relative.
The tigress is already hunting on her own
Umit quickly began using the reserve’s territory and hunting without human intervention. One of her first victims was a wolf, which the tigress killed and ate. The case shows how the return of an apex predator can change the behaviour of other animals in the ecosystem.
To ensure an adequate food base, kulan and Bukhara deer have been introduced to the area, while the future presence of Przewalski’s horses is also planned. Since 2021, 50,000 saplings have been planted, some of which have already reached a height of nearly three metres.
SMS alerts to warn people when tigers approach
People who raise cattle, sheep and goats live around the reserve. The authorities have therefore created mobile teams trained to respond to the risk of conflict between tigers, people or domestic animals.
The predators’ movements are monitored using satellite collars. When a tiger comes within five kilometres of a village or farm, residents will receive automatic text messages.
Two more tigers are to be released into the reserve in 2027. The long-term plan envisions the population reaching around 50 animals. The project is worth 30 million dollars and is funded by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the United Nations Development Programme and the government of Kazakhstan.
Sources: unian.net, rferl.org, kt.kz