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EAZA Tiger Campaign 2002/4


Target projects: Project 6

Mediating Conflicts between Tigers and
People, Russian Far East

The Amur tiger roams across a
very large area in the Russian
Far East, but it is an area low in
productivity, so the tiger
competes with man for critical
habitat and resources. There are
two types of conflicts critical to
long-term co-existence of tigers
and people: direct conflicts,
where tigers threaten human
health or welfare, and competition
for the prey species.

Amur tiger © David Higgs/TEPA
Amur tiger range map © Tigris














An euthanased problem tiger; it was coming into a village and killing dogs © Yuri Trusch 		The Wildlife Conservation Society's Russia Programme has already begun resolving conflict situations in collaboration with the wildlife authorities, working with the local people in forest villages to show their concern for people living near tigers and providing an alternative to killing problem animals.
To address the problem of competition between tigers and people for prey animals, the programme needs to change the ideas that hunters have about tigers - that there are too many, or that they kill too many animals. However, accurate data on tiger predation rates are needed to convince the hunters.

In 2003 this project will support:

  • Tiger Response Team
    • This team, which is part of the official Inspection Tiger setup, has been trained and equipped to deal with tiger-human conflicts. They address the problems quickly, directly and in a conservation-sensitive manner, which promotes better attitudes to conservation amongst the local people. Alternatives to killing problem tigers include negative conditioning using scare tactics with pyrotechnics, or stuffed domestic animals wired with electric fence, and relocation. Released tigers (two so far) are radio-collared to track their movements and check the success of the action, or the need for further intervention.
    Collaring a tiger ©Bart Schleyer/WCS

    During the past year the team has dealt with nine problem tigers in a variety of situations. The team aims to minimise mortalities amongst tigers and develop a model for other tiger range countries - they are already the most advanced unit of this kind in the world. In 2003 they need an additional vehicle, support for salaries, capture supplies and walkie-talkies.

  • Predation Rate Field Study
    • WCS Russia has already created one of the largest databases of tiger information through years of study, but now needs to gather vital information about how predation rates vary by sex, age and season. Predation rates are affected by many variables - size of tiger, size of prey taken, rate at which kills are taken over by other carnivores, and energy demands depending on season.

    By intensive study of individuals over long periods, using radio-collaring and monitoring, they will be able to pinpoint the locations of kills, identify the species, and estimate the volume eaten by the tiger.

    The study aims to define prey densities necessary to support specific densities of Amur tigers. The information will also be used to inform hunters about tiger-prey relationships, and to help local people to manage livestock in ways that reduce tiger predation.
    Movements of the released tiger Pahomovna
    ©Zov Taigi and John Goodrich/WCS

    The study needs helicopter hire to track the tigers, radio collars, telemetry equipment, salaries and permits.
Click here for more background information