Amur tigers, like this one at the Kiev Zoo in Ukraine, are endangered in the wild.
A rare Amur tiger – one of 300 to 400 estimated to remain in the wild - was killed by poachers near Vladivostok, Russia, an animal rescue group said Tuesday.
The Siberian tiger was found by an International Fund for Animal Welfare anti-poaching patrol in Primorye Province, according to an IFAW news release.
The group says the area (which includes parts of China and North Korea) is home to the last of the wild Amur tigers, which was on the brink of extinction in the 1940s with only 40 remaining worldwide before a vigorous conservation effort.
Four suspected poachers caught with the dead, 5-year-old male tiger were arrested by rangers from the Khasan district of the province, IFAW said. One of the hunters had been injured by the big cat and required hospitalization.
If convicted, the hunters face a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $20,000 fine, IFAW said.
"We can't save the tigers unless we combat rampant poaching, which is the single greatest threat to the survival of this species," the group’s director, Masha Vorontsova, said.
Governments of the 13 so-called tiger range countries will meet in St. Petersburg, Russia, next week to come up with a plan to save tigers from extinction. Through the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit, which begins Sunday, the governments hope to double the wild tiger population in the next dozen years.
The blackmarket for tiger products was highlighted last month when 25 suspected traffickers in tiger body parts were arrested in a six-country INTERPOL sting. More than 110 pounds of tiger bone – including the animals’ skulls and skeletons – were confiscated.
Chinese tiger-breeding centers have proposed creating tiger farms to cull the animals' body parts, thereby diminishing demand for the products and lessening the chances they might be hunted in the wild. The idea has met with resistance from environmental groups.
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How sad. Man only knows how to cause death and destruction. They need to not only double the tiger population but triple the number of rangers they have give them orders to shoot on sight when these SOB's are caught poaching. Too bad the tiger didn't kill all three of them.
Whats going extinct? Tigers? Oh. Wake me up when HUMANS are going extinct. Until then, not my problem.
3 years in prison is not enough. and how will they pay the 20k fine, they'll go shoot another tiger! they should be executed. there are too many people in the world and not enough tigers.
I believe this is a reflextion of how humans can sometimes be a pest. It is sad how we cannot co-exsist with other living things on this planet. I would like the idea of for a split second the hunters be the hunted, but by the animal they are trying to kill. Unfortunately, though that can't happen and these sorts of things will never not stop happening because of the ignorance these hunters pertain.
Seriously!! I totally agree with the idea of 'Poacher Carcasses" being fed to the tigers ..... hell, I'll volunteer my time to drag those carcasses out to the Tigers...even better, ...let'em loose on a reserve for the tigers to feed on!!!
wut the???? why would people do that? when they know that the tigers are endangered??? Poooorrr Tiger> :'(
Hope the poachers die an extremely painful death!
Hunters, poachers what's the difference! It is only semantics! Those who kill will suffer.....period!
why would any one what to kill such a cute,furry thing?
They are probably all muslim
Let's just kill and eat everything that moves while pumping out more and more humans without any consideration for other life on this planet....OH WAIT...if there's nothing left ot eat... we'll have to start eating ourselves... brings back memories of Soilent Green!
I agree, these mother f**ckers should be put to death.
i hope they get sent to jail or even worst.
People pay big money for exotic trophies. Tigers aren't the only ones on the brink due to poaching. Just look at elephants, rhinos, and gorillas. People care nothing about the wonderful biodiversity of our planet, all they want is money.
All people care about is money. Poachers have almost killed off all the "famous" species for trophies and whatnot. Elephants, rhinos gorillas, you name it. This is so sad.