Four Amur TIGERS gifted by Russia to Kazakhstan during Putin's state visit

Russia gifted four Amur tigers to Kazakhstan to help reinvigorate the population, on the occasion of Vladimir Putin's state visit on Thursday.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources confirmed that two adults - captured in the wild in the Far East - and two tiger cubs from a rehabilitation centre in the Khabarovsk region - would be arriving.

Footage shows specialists transporting the sleeping animals to the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve, which covers an area of 415,000 hectares.

The transfer took place as part of a joint plan signed by Putin and Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in November last year.

"Two adult tigers will spend around two months in quarantine. During this period, scientists and experts will assess their readiness for release. [...] The two cubs will remain in the centre after quarantine until they complete a training programme lasting a year. If all goes well and they adapt successfully, they will be released into the wild in summer 2027," the department explained.

The ministry added that preparations for transporting the animals began in 2025, with Russian specialists evaluating the conditions at the reserve, and Kazakhstani staff received training at the Amur Tiger Centre in the Khabarovsk region.

The Turanian tiger disappeared from Central Asia in the mid-20th century. In 2010, Kazakhstan announced plans to reintroduce the species into the wild, while research by international scientists confirmed the genetic similarity between the Amur and Turanian subspecies, which formed the basis for the population restoration programme in Kazakhstan.

In 2017, the country approved a 35-year reintroduction plan, and in 2018, it established the Ile-Balkhash Reserve. Earlier, in 2024, the Netherlands transferred two more Amur tigers to Kazakhstan, but they have yet to produce offspring.

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