New hope for Amur tigers as Filippa returns to the wild

On April 29, the young tigress Filippa was returned to the wild after 14 months of rehabilitation at the Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals (PRNCO “Tiger “Centre”) in Alekseevka village.

It was previously reported that Filippa and her male friend Vladik would be released together in April. However, it has been decided to release Filippa separately because of the shortage of female tigers in the area of release.

“Amur tigers are usually released into the wild in spring when the snow has melted and the majority of hooved animals (the tiger’s main food source) can move around more freely,” says TigerTime manager, Vicky Flynn. “We hope that Filippa will be able to hunt them on her own and won’t need to approach populated areas in search of food.”

To make sure Filippa is adapting well in her new habitat, her movements will be traced via GPS collar.

Back in December 2015, the undernourished tigress was found by residents of Filippovka village in the Khasan District of Primorye. During Filippa’s rehabilitation at the Tiger Centre in the village of Alekseyevka her contact with humans was kept to a minimum. It took more than a year to prepare the tigress for release back into the wild.

Filippa mastered her hunting skills in the rehab and we hope that she will adapt well in her new habitat. A total of seven tigers have been released into the wild after rehabilitation to rebuild the species population in the Russian Far East.

With a growing but still highly vulnerable population of c.540 Amur tigers, every rescued cub is vital to the survival of the species.

This amazing work by PRNCO and NGO partners, including the Phoenix Fund, is supported by TigerTime and its parent charity the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

You can find out more about our work in the Russian Far East by clicking here