In a heartwarming story from Russia, two Amur tigers named Boris and Svetlaya have been reunited in the wild after being apart for a long time. In 2012, both tigers were found as orphaned cubs in the Sikhote-Alin mountains. They were taken to a conservation program, where they were carefully looked after. To help them survive on their own, the caretakers made sure the tigers stayed away from people. This was done so the tigers could learn to live and hunt like they would in the wild.

When the tigers were 18 months old, they were released back into the wild in 2014. Boris and Svetlaya were placed far away from each other—almost 200 kilometres apart. This was done to help spread the Amur tiger population to different areas. However, Boris did something unexpected. Conservationists saw that he was moving in a straight line, which is unusual for tigers since they normally roam around in specific territories. Over three years, Boris travelled an incredible 200 kilometres to find Svetlaya.

Six months after Boris and Svetlaya found each other again, they had a group of baby tigers, called a litter of cubs. This was a big achievement for the conservation program, as it showed their efforts to protect and grow the tiger population were working.

Success of releasing orphan tigers into the wild

Experts think this is a positive sign for the future of Amur tigers. Dale Miquelle, a scientist from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), explained how well the tigers adjusted to the wild. He said that the rescued tiger cubs, even though they were raised by humans, were able to hunt as skilfully as wild tigers. They hunted the same types of animals they would naturally eat and hardly ever attacked farm animals.

Miquelle added, “This success demonstrates that tigers with proper isolation from humans and provided the opportunity to learn to hunt can be successfully re-released into the wild. But this process requires great caution and attention to detail in preparing cubs for this journey.”

Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are an endangered species. Their numbers have fallen due to habitat loss, poaching, and conflicts with humans. Stories like Boris and Svetlaya’s show that conservation efforts can make a big difference.