The last winter survey, conducted in 1996, reported 330-371 adult tigers, with 85-105 cubs. "The difference in results between 1996 and this survey," said Dimitri Pikunov, coordinator of the survey in Primorye Province, and a well-known specialist on this big cat, "is not due to a change in numbers, but simply reflects the additional effort we made to survey the entirety of tiger range." Coordinators agree that this survey represents the most extensive effort to date to count tigers in Russia.
Tiger conservationists around the world were buoyed by these results, especially since India, once considered the greatest stronghold for tigers, is now under pressure after recent reports of tigers completely disappearing from some of their core tiger reserves. Yuri Darman, Director of the WWF Russian Far East Office, declared, "these results are a tribute to the hard work and dedication of conservation organizations and government officials here in Russia. Despite massive poaching pressures in the 1990s, we have been able to turn back the tide, and retain our tiger population." John Seidensticker, of the Save the Tiger Fund, a partnership between Exxon Mobil, U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, added, "Russia is a bright spot in the conservation of tigers in Asia, and is proof of our belief that a few dedicated individuals, with sufficient motivation and adequate support, can make a difference in the world."
Coordinators of the survey effort gathered in Vladivostok today to present their results, but emphasize that numbers are still preliminary. Still to come will be an assessm
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Source:Wildlife Conservation Society