The problem with hungry tigers in our country is getting worse; the situation really goes beyond understanding! Conflicts are on the rise. Tigers come out of the Russian Taiga and attack domestic dogs—people, in turn, demand to kill the predators but continue to keep dogs on chains, in the cold.
The situation is as follows: in total, there are about 750 tigers in our country (according to official data). They are listed in the Red Book, and any killing of tigers is prohibited by law! At the same time, even such a small number of tigers in our huge Russia is not getting enough food. There is simply no prey base.
The wild has been divided among private leaseholders—some are cutting down the taiga, others fence it off for sports hunting entertainment. Additionally, as part of the fight against the “African swine fever,” the authorities are clearing the taiga of wild boars that the tiger preys on!
So it turns out that in the frosty winter—there is no prey base. Previously, there were devastating fires in these forests, now there are logging operations and people shooting wild animals for “sport”! Instead of leaving nature alone and letting it recover, we continue to exploit wounded ecosystems.
In recent years, hungry tigers have been coming out to people in search of food en masse! They come to villages where people keep dogs on chains in doghouses and drag them away. Tigers rarely attack people; this can only happen if a person poses a threat to the animal.
Is the problem of tigers coming out to people being solved in any way? What has the Ministry of Natural Resources done, for instance?
Nothing. At all!
They have only been actively trying since 2023 to push through a bill legalizing the killing of Red Book animals “in exceptional cases.” That is, hungry tigers can simply be shot as soon as they dare to come out of the Russian Taiga.
Now I want to show you a clear chronology of events that are unfolding right now. I will give examples of conflicts only from the end of November 2024 to the beginning of January 2025.
November 29, 2024 — on the 88th kilometer of the highway in Primorsky Krai, a car hit a tiger that was wandering around settlements in search of food. After the collision, the predator disappeared into the forest with severe injuries.
December 14, 2024 — in Khabarovsk Krai, on the territory of a national park, at a tourist base, an Amur tiger attacked a man who was resting there. He did not try to kill him (otherwise he would undoubtedly have done so), most likely the beast got scared! The tiger roughed the man up, causing minor injuries, and then disappeared.
December 18, 2024 — in Primorsky Krai, a car hit a tiger, which died on the spot. The driver was a 34-year-old woman, she was not injured. Most likely it was the same tiger that had already been hit by a car on November 29.
December 19, 2024 — on the A-370 Khabarovsk-Vladivostok highway, an unknown driver hit another tiger and then fled the scene. The animal died.
December 25, 2024 — not far from the village of Barabash, Khasansky District (Primorsky Krai), another tiger was hit by the next driver. The predator disappeared into the forest with injuries.
See AlsoA Short History of Hysteria - Seventh WaveIsrael-Hamas ceasefire: 2 Americans expected to be released by Hamas in first phase of deal Worried you have the coronavirus? Here's exactly what you should do.- January 7, 2025 — in the Nanaysky District of Khabarovsk Krai, a tiger attacked a game warden, knocking him to the ground. The victim’s colleague shot the animal, saving his comrade’s life. A criminal case was opened against the shooter.
Also, in early January in Primorye, a tiger encountered children at a ski resort. The kids barely escaped from it. In addition, AN ENORMOUS NUMBER of other instances of tigers coming to people have been recorded since December, and they have already carried away dozens of dogs.
The situation is getting worse.
“Over the last three years, the number of human-tiger conflict situations has been increasing. In 2023 there were 170, last year almost 300. In the first ten days of this year, there have already been 30 reports of the predator entering a settlement,” - they say on REN TV.
SOCIETY’S REACTION
In fact, it’s scary. The local residents themselves are already trying to kill tigers “on the sly,” they also demand that the state legalize shooting them as soon as possible! The Ministry of Natural Resources is right now trying to pass a law on “exceptional killings” of animals listed in the Red Book. Experts, in turn, say that by the end of the year—the number of conflicts with tigers will break all known records, and next year climate anomalies are expected, meaning there will be drought, heat, and forest fires! This will lead to an even greater reduction in the prey base, which will provoke an increase in conflicts with predators.
And while bears and wolves are simply shot on the spot, as the law allows, the killing of tigers is still only being considered for legalization.
At the same time, I am extremely worried about the general information background that is set in society. People who have never seen a tiger in their lives and live somewhere in the central part of the country are calling for the swift extermination of the predators.
Let me give you verbatim comments under media materials about tigers coming out.
“Create a special commission for scientific research on the maximum allowable growth of the tiger population? Seriously? Isn’t it already clear that the tiger population has reached its limit for this very limited territory? When there were 450-500 tigers a few years ago, we didn’t hear about tigers coming to people almost every day. Sure, sometimes one or another would wander into some village, but mainly they only saw tracks in the snow. And now tigers roam around people’s yards in broad daylight without fear,” — user with the nickname “Timoshka T.”
“Stop feeling touched and shedding tears. It’s time to save people. Office creatures,” — user with the nickname “genrihvonr.”
“They’ve multiplied; there are way too many tigers—it’s time to remove them from the Red Book. Close the Amur Tiger Center,” — user with the nickname “Anton Matveev.”
“‘If a tiger visits the territory of a settlement and attacks dogs—it’s not a threat to life….’ So officials are waiting for tigers to start attacking people. Such a cannibalistic position from Far Eastern officials,” — user with the nickname “Sergey Kulikov.”
“In recent years, not only Far Eastern officials have a cannibalistic position; the authorities, animal rights activists have developed a special love specifically for predators—dogs, bears, tigers, and leopards,” — user with the nickname “I won’t say, I’ll show.”
“Give hunters licenses for tigers before it’s too late, and pay attention to the number of wolves; give communities gas coupons to get to Chukotka,” - user with the nickname “Dmitry Sokira-Yakhontov”
“By your standards, harmony is when a tiger that came to your doorstep or garden can’t be destroyed, but it can hunt humans…?” — user with the nickname “Mikhail S”
“Soon people themselves will start reducing the number of tigers,” — user with the nickname “Anton Matveev.”
“No matter what you come up with, you can’t do without shooting tigers. Today or tomorrow, but this moment will inevitably come if their population continues to grow. Ideally, of course, shoot the most brazen ones that have already attacked people. But it might not be enough. And we’ll have to catch the ‘excess’ and sell them to zoos around the world,” — user with the nickname “Nina Zhukova.”
“Grandfather told me that the last man-eating tiger in the vicinity of Khabarovsk was killed in 1908. And the Khunkhuzes also helped regulate the number. And now good breeders from Moscow are breeding tigers without comparing what the prey base was at the beginning of the 19th century and now. One tiger eats 7-8 red deer or up to 60 goats per year. Multiply that by about 200 tigers. And the goat (roe deer) population in 1908 was up to a hundred in a herd,” — user with the nickname “stanislav kondratenko”
Here are such comments! We compared the general trend in society; it turns out that about 88% of all commenters are against tigers. That is, practically everyone unanimously demands the destruction of tigers as soon as possible! Because in a country where more than 150 million people live, 750 wild tigers in nature is “too many.”
The last comment is especially interesting. Many people perfectly understand that there is no prey base! They fully realize that there used to be more animals, and now there isn’t enough food even for the unfortunate 750 tigers, which are already on the brink of extinction (listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation). But they still fiercely demand to get rid of them.
LET’S SUM UP
The problems are known, and in many cases confirmed by the authorities themselves. But how can we achieve change when the entire management system, including society—integrated into it—cannot SOLVE the problems and openly calls for even greater destruction of ecosystems.
We have the following situation:
A) The number of tigers left in all of mighty Siberia and the Far East, whose area is about 13.1 million square kilometers, is only 750 individuals. Siberia and the Far East make up 8.8% OF ALL THE EARTH’S LAND!
B) The state requires introducing a law on killing Red Book animals, and urgently so!
C) Society itself supports the introduction of such a law and the destruction of tigers. The more conflicts with tigers in the regions, the more the general “hysteria” is fueled, which in turn provokes calls to exterminate predators even by those who live in cities and have never seen a tiger in their lives.
How, tell me, can we call for reason?
THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM
The modern world—modern solutions that have long been used around the world, including technical means! Our government has the money for total digital control, registries, and millions of facial recognition cameras in cities. But solving the tiger problem—are we incapable of that? So it seems?
The steps to resolve the problem are simple and clear. But they are being ignored by both the state and society!
1—restore the prey base, national programs to increase the number of hoofed animals. INTRODUCE A BAN ON SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT HUNTING AS A MATTER OF URGENCY!
2—introduce a moratorium on logging in key tiger habitats, declaring these territories protected areas.
It is also necessary to introduce technical means to control predators, such technologies are already successfully used worldwide. Creating a digital system to monitor tigers using GPS trackers will allow tracking their migration, detecting the approach of tigers to populated areas, and analyzing their territorial behavior.
It’s simple: a signal is received about a tiger crossing the boundary—a rapid response team of specialists is dispatched to the location, preventing possible conflicts.
In addition—install automatic cameras, use drones with thermal imaging (today they are used by hunters to kill animals), and also create a DIGITAL PLATFORM WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT equipped with artificial intelligence and analytical systems.
These technologies already exist, are actively used around the world, and have shown the highest efficiency, including for the introduction of wolves in different countries.
AI can process data from GPS collars, instantly analyze a tiger’s behavior and condition, predict migration routes, and identify potentially dangerous areas. The system will automatically notify about tigers approaching residential areas!
Is it necessary to mention the possibility of satellite monitoring, which has long been used even in our country to protect wild animals?
Creating a unified digital system will allow for a quick response to tigers coming out to people, solving problems, and local residents themselves can receive SMS notifications if necessary.
But the first and most important thing that needs to be done is to introduce a MORATORIUM (BAN) ON LOGGING AND ANY SPORTS HUNTING.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Comrades, it seems that obvious things do not reach either the officials or the people. In reality, our opinion is in the minority, and that’s bad! If the task of the Ministry of Natural Resources is to urgently adopt this bill, then every conflict with predators is beneficial to them. And the more conflicts there are, the faster they will pass their law!
I think it is necessary to prepare a document for the government, give specific steps to resolve the issue, and try, as part of a public initiative, to bring this to the responsible persons in the departments! We need a public outcry and mass requests, including working through our allies in the government.
We specifically need to demand the introduction of a MORATORIUM ON SPORTS HUNTING, as well as accompanying state projects to protect animals and restore their habitats.
I understand that the chances are slim, but we need to do something. You see for yourselves what horror is happening!
Spread this material. We will consider whether we can take on the problem to try to solve it! We still have neither resources nor strength. I’ll let you know in a separate post if we’re ready to start working!
© PAVEL PASHKOV
