A criminal case has been opened in the Far East of Russia after rangers in a vast national park discovered the decapitated body of an adult tiger floating in the Anyui river, with poachers thought to be to blame for the killing.
The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger, is classed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and on in the famous ‘red list’ of at-risk species. Originally found throughout Korea, northern China and Mongolia, the vast majority of the breed is now located in Russia.
The body was found in Anyuysky National Park, around 200km away from Khabarovsk, the largest city in Russia's Far East.
On Tuesday, the local nature reserve authorities revealed on Facebook that the tiger's head was “mechanically” separated from its body, indicating a possible death at the hands of humans. It could have been removed because a poacher wanted to sell it, or even to potentially hide gunshot wounds, the post said, quoting Amur Tiger Center Director General Sergey Aramilev.
Also on rt.com Moscow Zoo announces birth of four rare Siberian tigers, marking good news for Russian breed on endangered species ‘red list’The animal's body has been submitted for forensic examination at the center, with specialists tasked to find out when the tiger died and how long it had been in the water.
“The Siberian tiger is one of the rarest predators of the planet,” the Facebook post said. “According to experts, the total number of these predators in Russia is about 600, as of autumn 2020.”
Last year, four tiger cubs were born in captivity in Moscow Zoo, at the institution's specialist center for the reproduction of rare species.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!