On August 4, according to TASS news agency, the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology said that the young Amur tigers transferred by Russia will continue to be raised in semi-wild conditions for about another year, before being considered for release back into the natural environment.
According to this ministry, the tiger cubs were brought to Kazakhstan in May when they were only 6-7 months old. They are currently growing and developing in specialized cages in the Ile-Balkhash National Nature Reserve, located in southern Kazakhstan.
The individuals will continue to be monitored and cared for by experts until they are about 18 months old," the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology said.
After this stage, each individual will undergo veterinary tests and behavioral assessments to determine their ability to adapt to the natural environment. Only those that fully meet the criteria are allowed to re-release.
Regarding a male tiger, Kazakh officials said the animal is still under special monitoring. The decision to release it into nature was only made after completing all tests and confirming that this individual is capable of independent survival in the wild.
Previously, in May, 4 Amur tigers were transported from the Khabarovsk region of Russia to the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve within the framework of a wildlife conservation cooperation program between the two countries.
The Amur tiger is considered the closest relative of the Caspian tiger, a species that once lived widely in Central Asia but has been extinct in Kazakhstan since 1948.
Kazakh authorities expect that bringing Amur tigers to live and gradually releasing them back into the natural environment will contribute to restoring the tiger population in this country after nearly 80 years of absence.
The program is considered one of the largest carnivorous animal conservation projects in Central Asia, and is also considered an important step in efforts to restore the ecosystem in the Ile-Balkhash region.
