Amur Tiger

WWF supports monitoring efforts across the Amur in both Russia and China. In November 2011, a wild Amur tiger was captured on camera for the first time in an area of northeast China—a key finding for the breeding and resettlement of the tiger population in the region.

WWF has been instrumental in securing tiger habitat in the Russian Far East and China. The protected habitat includes officially protected areas and conservation leases that secure a continuous landscape for tigers. We also help attain sustainable certification for millions of acres of the region’s forests, especially to sustainably manage Korean Pine and Mongolian Oak.

WWF works with hunting communities to protect tiger prey species like deer and wild boar. Hunting quotas, vaccination against disease, and supplementary feeding during the harshest weeks of winter help ensure tigers will not go hungry. Model hunting estates have been created to increase the number of wild ungulates such as boar and deer. In China we are piloting a program of deer release to restock prey populations. As a result, the number of tigers has increased substantially in these areas. The practice is now being widely replicated in other areas.

WWF advocates for stronger logging and hunting laws as well as their enforcement. We help train and equip staff in the protected areas, support antipoaching brigades, and train customs agents across the region to reduce illegal trade.

WWF strives to spread the word about the importance of a healthy Amur tiger population. We educate deer hunters on how to hunt responsibly and on how to behave if they encounter tigers in the wild. WWF also co-organizes annual "Tiger Day" celebrations in Vladivostok and in villages all across Primorskii Province to get communities involved in tiger conservation.