A Perfect Pair

An orphaned tiger cub wandered the snowy mountains near the border of Russia and China in 2012. Hungry and cold, the cub would have been doomed without help. Fortunately, villagers found him and notified wildlife authorities nearby. Scientists took the cub to a wildlife center in the city of Vladivostok, in eastern Russia. Workers there had a grand mission—to save some of the world’s last surviving Amur tigers!

The cub, named Boris, stayed at the center for the next year. He grew up alongside Svetlaya. She was another rescued cub who lived next door. The pair couldn’t see each other—but they could easily smell and hear one another.

After the tigers grew into adults, workers released them into wild areas far apart. But after the big move, Boris missed his old neighbor, so he decided to do something about it.

He trekked nearly 120 miles (193 kilometers) on his own to where Svetlaya was living in the wild. Even in the vast wilderness, he found her! The pair soon became mates. Boris and Svetlaya’s unlikely reunion isn’t just a touching love story. It’s also a rare success for a big cat nearing extinction.

A tiger cub walked through snowy mountains in 2012. He was alone near the border of Russia and China. The cub was hungry and cold. He would have died without help. Luckily, villagers found him. They told wildlife officials nearby. Scientists took the cub to a wildlife center. It was in the city of Vladivostok, in eastern Russia. People there were working to save some of the world’s last Amur tigers!

The cub was named Boris. He stayed at the center for the next year. He grew up alongside Svetlaya. She was another rescued cub. She lived next door. The pair couldn’t see each other. But they could easily smell and hear one another.

The tigers grew into adults. Then workers released them into the wild far apart. But Boris missed his old neighbor. So he did something about it. He walked nearly 120 miles (193 kilometers). He found Svetlaya in the vast wilderness! The pair soon became mates. Boris and Svetlaya’s unlikely reunion isn’t just a touching love story. It’s also a rare success for a big cat nearing extinction.

Amur tigers live in distant parts of eastern Russia and northeastern China (see “Where Tigers Roam”). But the animals have nearly disappeared from the area. Widespread hunting and habitat loss caused tiger numbers to drop sharply. By the 1920s, only about 20 Amur tigers remained in Russia.

That eventually became a wake-up call, says Dale Miquelle. He’s a tiger biologist who worked on the conservation project. To save the tigers, something had to be done.

Russia banned tiger hunting in the 1940s. By the 1990s, the Amur tiger population had grown to about 475. But the tigers were still threatened by poaching and habitat loss.

In the late 1990s, Russian and American scientists had an idea: They could rescue orphaned tiger cubs, raise them, and release them into the wild. Conservation workers had done this with other animals. But would it work with big cats?

Scientists worried that tigers raised in captivity wouldn’t survive in the wild. Maybe they wouldn’t know how to hunt or they’d be too comfortable around people. That could put the tigers in danger. But the extinction of these magnificent animals seemed unthinkable. So scientists decided to give the idea a shot.

Amur tigers live in distant parts of eastern Russia and northeastern China (see “Where Tigers Roam”). But there are few of the animals left in the area. Hunting caused tiger numbers to drop sharply. So did habitat loss. Only about 20 Amur tigers were left in Russia by the 1920s.

That would become a wake-up call, says Dale Miquelle. He’s a tiger biologist. He worked on the conservation project. Something had to be done to save the tigers.

Russia banned tiger hunting in the 1940s. That helped Amur tiger numbers grow to about 475 by the 1990s. But poaching and habitat loss still threatened the tigers.

Russian and American scientists had an idea in the late 1990s. They could rescue orphaned tiger cubs. They’d raise the animals. Then they’d release them into the wild. People had done this with other animals. But would it work with big cats?

Scientists worried about tigers raised in captivity. Would they be able to survive in the wild?  Maybe they wouldn’t know how to hunt. Or they’d be too comfortable around people. That could put the tigers in danger. But scientists couldn’t let these amazing animals die out. So they decided to give the idea a try.

In 2012, the project received its first cub, 4-month-old Zolushka (Russian for “Cinderella”). Over the next nine years, 13 cubs came to the center. The young tigers had limited contact with humans. At first, they were given small prey like rabbits to get them interested in hunting.

Later, caretakers released larger animals like deer and wild boars for the growing tigers to catch. The big cats would need to hunt this type of prey in the wild. When they turned 18 months old, the young adult tigers were released in a part of Russia where tigers had disappeared.

The project got its first cub in 2012. It was 4-month-old Zolushka (Russian for “Cinderella”). The center got 13 cubs over the next nine years. The young tigers had little contact with humans. They were given small prey like rabbits at first. This got them get interested in hunting.

Later, the growing tigers practiced catching deer and wild boars. The big cats would need to hunt this type of prey in the wild. The young adult tigers were ready to leave at 18 months old. They were released in a part of Russia where tigers had disappeared.

Scientists kept an eye on the tigers after their release. GPS collars allowed them to track the cats. When a tiger chose its territory, Miquelle and his colleagues would drive to the area. They’d search for the remains of the tiger’s prey. They could see if the tiger was able to hunt enough food. They’d also set up cameras that took photos or video whenever an animal walked by.

These tools allowed researchers to follow Boris and Svetlaya’s amazing reunion between 2014 and 2016. They tracked Boris’s long journey to find Svetlaya. A camera snapped a picture of the pair cuddling together. Then came the best surprise of all: the arrival of cubs!

The program released 13 tigers in total. All but one thrived in the wild. Some, like Zolushka and Svetlaya, had cubs. The project showed that orphaned tigers can hunt and have babies in the wild even after growing up in captivity. “We now have a tool we can use to help tigers recover across Asia,” says Miquelle.

Scientists kept an eye on the tigers after their release. GPS collars allowed them to track the cats. Miquelle’s team would drive to the area when a tiger chose its territory. They’d search for the remains of the tiger’s prey. They could see if the tiger was able to hunt enough food. They’d also set up cameras. The cameras took photos or video whenever an animal walked by.

These tools allowed scientists to follow Boris and Svetlaya between 2014 and 2016. They tracked Boris’s long journey to find Svetlaya. They saw the cats’ reunion. A camera snapped a picture of the pair cuddling together. Then came the best surprise of all. The pair had cubs!

The program released 13 tigers in total. All but one thrived in the wild. Some, like Zolushka and Svetlaya, had cubs. The project showed that orphaned tigers can survive in the wild even after growing up in captivity. And they can go on to have babies. “We now have a tool we can use to help tigers recover across Asia,” says Miquelle.