On November 21, 2013, while patrolling the Land of the Leopard National Park (Primorsky krai, Russian Far East), Phoenix Fund rangers discovered a dead male Amur tiger. The predator is believed to have been killed by poachers in late-night hunting, taking into account that a gunshot wound was found below its shoulder. A postmortem examination will be performed soon in order to determine the cause of death.
“Despite the fact that in Russia on July 2, 2013 criminal responsibility was imposed for harvest and smuggling highly-valued wildlife and aquatic biological resources, poachers were not scared by those legal amendments and continue to kill protected animals. Thus, in early August, a tiger skin was found in Khabarovsky krai, but we have not heard yet if poachers involved in that crime was caught. Now, one more cruel killing of tiger, symbol of Primorsky krai, occurred near Vladivostok. Poachers seem to mock at the Russian Government’s efforts to protect rare and endangered big cat species. We hope that law enforcement agencies will respond promptly to this case and make every effort to identify and arrest criminals”, says Director of the Phoenix Fund Sergei Bereznuk.
For over ten years Alertis has been supporting the Phoenix Fund. Their work remains vital for the survival of the wildlife in Primorsky krai. More information on the ‘Red Wolf’ rangers can be found at http://www.bearsinmind.org/Project/Anti-poaching-team-Russia