Siberian Snows May Starve Endangered Tigers, Leopards

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http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2002/2002L-01-25-01.html

 

Siberian Snows May Starve Endangered Tigers, Leopards

 

GLAND, Switzerland, January 2, 2002 (ENS) - This

winter's heavy snowfalls in the Primorskii Region of

Russia's Far East are likely to reduce the numbers of

ungulates such as deer and boar, WWF, the conservation

organization, said today at its headquarters here.

 

This lack of ungulates in turn threatens the survival

of their predators, the Far Eastern leopard and the

Amur tiger, species which are themselves critically

endangered.

 

Reports from WWF workers in Far Eastern Russia

indicate that ungulates such as Sika deer, Roe deer

and wild boars " will likely die en masse from

starvation in the coming two months. "

" For a long time WWF has been offering to develop an

Ungulates Recovery Programme as the basis for long

term conservation of the Amur tiger and Far Eastern

leopard, " says Dr. Yuri Darman, director of WWF's

operations in Far Eastern Russia.

 

" Unfortunately this is still not in place. For the

time being, we are taking emergency measures in

cooperation with the Wildlife and Game Service to save

the ungulates, " Darman said.

 

WWF workers are clearing roads, cutting low hanging

tree branches for grazing, and bringing in additional

forage. The conservation group estimates $US40,000

dollars will be needed to support these emergency

measures to preserve the remaining tigers and

leopards.

 

Snowfalls over the past weeks in the Primorskii

Region's southwestern districts have far exceeded the

average. The snow is currently up to 1.5 meters (4.9

feet) deep, when for the majority of ungulates living

in the area, 0.4 metres (1.3 feet) of snow limits

their ability to find food in the forest.

 

In deer breeding farms, Sika deer are dying from

starvation at a rate of up to eight animals a day.

Without additional forage, as many as 80 to 90 percent

of the wild ungulates living in southwestern

Primorskii may die, according to WWF.

The IUCN-World Conservation Union Red Data Book of

2000 lists both the Russian leopard and the Amur, or

Siberian, tiger as critically endangered, which means

they are facing an extremely high risk of extinction

in the wild in the immediate future.

 

These big cats inhabit coniferous and temperate

broadleaf forests in far eastern Russia, China and

North Korea. Primary threats to their survival are

habitat destruction for timber and other forest

commodities and poaching for traditional medicine.

 

TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring programme of

WWF and IUCN, reports that Russia has become one of

the biggest suppliers to the traditional Chinese

medicine trade. Exports, mainly to East Asia, include

tiger skins and bones. Investigators also found tiger

products on sale in Russia's domestic markets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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