Trail of Putin's Siberian tiger picked up in Heilongjiang

Want China Times, Xinhua 2014-10-11

Vladimir Putin speaks at an international investment forum in Moscow, Oct. 3.
(File photo/Xinhua)

Clues that may lead to the whereabouts of a tiger that has allegedly roamed into China after being set free by Russian president Vladimir Putin were spotted in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, said local forestry authorities.

Hair, feces and tracks possibly left by the tiger were discovered in areas where the beast is suspected to have traveled in the vast forest area of the Lesser Hinggan Mountain, according to Zhang Shusen, an official with the provincial forestry industry bureau.

Further investigation will determine whether the findings belong to Kuzya, who was released into the wild along with two other Siberian tigers by Putin in May, Zhang said.

He added that tiger experts arrived in the area to facilitate tracking, locating and protecting the animal.

The official said the bureau was informed by Russia on Friday that the big cat, tagged with a tracking device, had left Heilongjiang's Luobei region where it was previously observed and moved to the northwestern part of the Lesser Hinggan Mountain.

For the tiger's safety, Kuzya's precise location will not be disclosed to the public, Zhang said.

Fewer than 500 Siberian tigers remain in the wild, mainly in eastern Russia, northeastern China and northern parts of the Korean peninsula. China puts its own number of wild Siberian tigers between 18 and 22, mostly living in the border areas.

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