The Amur Tiger, the world’s largest big cat, is among the most endangered. Lately, it has taken to wandering with increasing frequency into areas populated by humans in Siberia. This behavior change has raised concerns among local residents, prompting discussions about the impact of conservation efforts and environmental challenges. The Amur Tiger population has rebounded from a low of 40 in the 1940s to around 750 today. This remarkable recovery is the fruit of concentrated wildlife rescue efforts, which were initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2008.
As we discussed during our workshop, things have gotten very tricky since 2020. Amur Tigers are now abandoning their forest habitats at record rates. Experts are calling the increased prevalence of African Swine Fever the primary instigator for this behavior. The disease has wiped out wild boar populations, one of the primary food sources for these majestic felines. Consequently, tigers are forced to wander into villages looking for other food sources.
The Amur Tiger Centre, which is headed by Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko, is tasked with coordinating and ensuring the implementation of conservation efforts. Though the center’s operations have been previously criticized, they became even more politicized inside Russia. Leading experts have raised alarm about the lack of independent research in guiding tiger conservation. They fear that voices counter to the government narrative are being silenced.
Human fatalities resulting from Amur Tiger attacks are uncommon. From 2010-2014, there were just seven fatalities, out of a total 20 reported attacks leading to 13 injuries. The remaining eighteen of twenty attacks were a result of human interventions. This is a rare example of why so many conflicts flare up due to our intrusion into tiger habitats.
“Human deaths in Amur tiger attacks are extremely rare. From 2010 to 2024, 20 attacks on humans were recorded, resulting in 13 injuries and seven deaths. Of these 20, 18 were provoked by humans.” – Sergey Aramilev, Amur Tiger Centre Director General
The precarious state of the road has recently sent shockwaves through the hearts of conservationists and the community of Omo Valley. An expert commented on the current circumstances:
“The tigers are hungry. That is why we are seeing these incidents.”
Tiger-human interactions aside, the effects of this African Swine Fever outbreak stretch far beyond tigers. Dr. Matthias Markolf, a research associate at Cologne Zoo, sounded the alarm about the disease’s threat to wild boar. It threatens the health of our whole ecosystem.
“Pigs die in 90-100% of circumstances. It’s really fatal. In Asia, there are lots of pig species restricted to small islands, so it’s having catastrophic consequences. We have already come across examples in Sumatra and Malaysia where they are having more tiger conflicts.”
The fight to save Amur Tigers represents the larger battle for ecological control in the area. Environmentalists and scientists have warned for years that doing a better job of keeping their ecosystem healthy is a key pillar for the species’ survival. One conservationist remarked:
“If we keep the ecosystem, we keep the tigers. African swine fever wouldn’t be such a big problem if the forest was in good condition.”
As of October, 2024, Russian authorities have killed at least 17 Amur Tigers. Additionally, they’ve 27 tigers as part of their rescue and relocation activities to manage the exponential growth of human-tiger conflicts. These actions have sparked a public debate on the wisdom and efficacy of our current conservation strategies. Naturally, people are demanding more holistic, long-term approaches to dealing with our wildlife crisis.
An increasing number of tigers are venturing beyond their natural ranges and into human-populated areas, searching for prey. This shatters the fragile equilibrium between human priorities and wildlife protection. It stands as a stark reminder of the urgent need for better conservation practices that honor ecological integrity and the communities within which they’re implemented.
The endangered Amur Tiger’s range is restricted to the remoteness of the Siberian taiga and a tiny corridor along the Russian-Chinese border. This imposed isolation is especially difficult for the conservation community. Controlling and securing such a vast area has proven difficult. This exacerbates threats for tigers and people living near them, too.