Scientists plan to return tigers to Central Asia
Scientists have set out plans to restore the Amur tiger - a closely related species of the Caspian tiger - to central Asia.
A relative of the Caspian tiger could soon be restored to Central Asia, more than 50 years since the species was declared extinct.
Caspian tigers were some of the largest cats that ever lived, weighing more than 300 pounds and measuring up to 10 feet in length.
Until the mid-1960s, the species populated Turkey and much of Central Asia. But poisoning and trapping by the former Soviet Union - along with irrigation projects that destroyed woodland - soon led to its demise.
Writing in the journal Biological Conservation, scientists set out plans to restore the Amur tiger - a closely related species of the Caspian tiger - to central Asia.
Researchers from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and State University of New York (SUNY) say that they have identified two areas in Kazakhstan where these big cats could be reintroduced.
"The idea of tiger reintroduction in Central Asia using the Amur tiger from the Russian Far East as an 'analogue' species has been discussed for nearly 10 years,” said co-author Mikhail Paltsyn.
He added that there are some major challenges that will need to be addressed before tigers start roaming the landscape again.
"First, it is necessary to stop riparian zone degradation caused by uncontrolled fires. Second, it is vital to restore wild ungulate (broadly defined as a hoofed mammal) populations in the area. That, alone, could take five to 15 years," said Paltsyn.
"Third, human safety and socio-economic benefits for local populations need to be addressed to provide a sustainable future for both tigers and people. And, finally, water consumption from the Ili River needs to be regulated in both Kazakhstan and China to support sufficient water level in Balkash Lake for tugay and reed ecosystems - the main tiger habitat.”
According to the study, the Amur tiger is the only subspecies that has seen a significant increase in recent years. Researchers believe that there are around 520 to 540 in the wild.
Moving some of them from the Russian Far East to Kazakhstan could be enough to eventually establish a wild population in 50 years and would not harm the Russian population, the study says.
