Kazakhstan announced its plans to revive the tiger population back in 2010 at the international forum in Saint Petersburg
The first two Amur tigers were brought to Kazakhstan from the Netherlands. The tigers will live in the Ile Balkhash nature reserve, while their cubs will be released back into the wild, Kazinform News Agency reports citing the Kazakh Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry.
Kazakhstan announced its plans to revive the tiger population back in 2010 at the international forum in Saint Petersburg.
Following the joint expedition of Kazakhstan, Russia and Switzerland as part of the WWF project the southern shore of the Balkhash Lake and the region of the Ili River delta was chosen as the most suitable place for potential restoration of Turanian tigers in Central Asia.
The population density of Turanian tigers (according to indirect historical data on the effectiveness of hunting and encounter frequency) was well above the population of Amur tigers and rather approached the tiger population size in India. It allows reckoning on the possibility of reintroducing no less than 100 tigers in the Ile Balkhash reserve and making a significant contribution to the Global Tiger Recovery Program.
In 2010-2015 the leading experts of Kazakhstan, Russia and other countries following consultations with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources developed a Tiger Reintroduction Program in Kazakhstan.
In June 2015 the research was published to claim that all continental tigers are considered to be one subspecies known as Panthera tigris tigris. This subspecies was included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan in 2021.
Amur and Turanian tigers are considered currently by scientists and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in accordance with their geographic distribution not as separate subspecies.
Two Amur tigers were brought to the Ile Balkhash nature reserve from the Stichting Leeuw (Lion Foundation) at the Landgoed Hoenderdaell Zoo, the Netherlands, thanks to long-standing cooperation between the WWF and Kazakhstan. This landmark event became an important move in restoring the ecosystem and bringing back the lost biodiversity. The program is implemented by the Kazakh Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry with the support of the WWF and UNDP Kazakhstan.
Two tigers, Bogadana and Kuma, will live in the designated center at the Ile Balkhash nature reserve to revive the tiger population. Besides, three or four tigers will be brought to Kazakhstan from Russia in 2025.
Photo credit: Kazakh Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry.
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