Siberian Tiger
DB: This is Earth and Sky. A century ago, there were eight different subspecies of tiger – now only five kinds are left. And they’re all in danger of becoming extinct.
JB: The tiger with the best chance of survival might be the Siberian, or Amur tiger – the biggest cat in the world. It lives in a harsh, remote habitat in the woodlands of Far Eastern Russia. The Amur is lucky. Its cousin, the Bengal tiger of India and Southeast Asia is getting crowded out by the ever-expanding human population. But eastern Russia is relatively unpopulated. And Amur tiger hunting was banned as early as 1947. In recent years, tiger poaching has been curbed by international cooperation.
DB: Today there are thought to be about 500 Amur tigers left in the wild. The biggest threat to their survival is the logging industry. An adult male tiger needs about a thousand square kilometers – about 400 square miles – of territory. Cutting down large stretches of forest reduces the size and quality of the habitat – not just for the tiger, but also for its prey – wild boar and elk.
JB: The Siberian Tiger Project wants to protect Amur tigers. Their strategy focuses on logging practices that protect forested corridors between tiger preserves.
DB: Thanks today to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
Additional Teacher Resources
Save the Tigers Fund, Kids: 5 Tigers
This site is a great interactive resource for all students studying any of the five species of tiger. Provided are multi-media instructional slide shows for each species of tiger. The slide shows illustrate the natural history of the species, their habitat and distribution, why they are endangered, and what conservation efforts are underway.
World Kids Network: The Siberian Tiger
The Siberian tiger is an endangered animal. It is found in eastern Siberia and also in northern China and Korea. There may be as many Siberian tigers running free as there are in captivity. Estimates are that there are probably no more than 200 Siberian tigers left in the world. This article discusses the causes that have driven the Siberian tiger population to these low numbers as well as the efforts being made to conserve the species in the wild.
Wildlife Conservation Society, Saving Wildlife: Siberian Tiger Project
This article covers the issue that approximately 330-370 Siberian tigers are left in the wild, with 95% of those animals in the Russian Far East. Since 1992, the Wildlife Conservation Society has conducted intensive studies of tiger ecology and have made intensive efforts to conserve this rare species.
Siberian-Tigers.com: Siberian Tigers
Siberian or Amur tigers historically inhabited forests of eastern Asia, northern China, Korea and Manchuria. Siberian tigers are found mostly in harsh and cold land, covered with snow for most of the year. This site covers the natural history of the Siberian tiger as well as provides multi-media images and links to more information.
