Poachers kill 19 Amur tigers

Since 2012, Russian investigators have launched seven criminal cases against tiger poachers and traders and confiscated the skeletons and body parts from at least 19 dead tigers.

Despite the terrible loss from a tiger population estimated at fewer than 350, the Russian authorities have been praised for stepping up efforts to toughen the penalties for poachers who kill and smuggle tigers to neighboring China, where their bones and pelts are sold on the black market for tens of thousands of dollars.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who is known to have a weak spot for animals, has a particular fondness for tigers.

On Monday (12 Aug), the Kremlin said Putin had initiated the establishment of the Amur Tiger Center, a non-governmental organization that will preserve and boost the Amur tiger population.

In early July, Putin signed a law punishing poaching and trading of endangered species, including tigers, with up to seven years in jail.

“These are very positive steps in improving protection for the Amur tiger – the largest of the tiger subspecies,” says the TigerTime team which funds Amur tiger protection in Russia. “We will continue to raise the issue at the highest levels to ensure a sustainable future for the tiger, not only in the Russian Far East but across all range countries.”

You can help TigerTime in its quest to end the trade in tiger parts and to protect the tiger in the wild by signing up to the campaign here.

Source: RiaNovosti