Siberian tigers are the largest living feline in the world. It is a massively built animal with a rounded head,
large canine teeth , muscular body, powerful limbs, especially the forearm and shoulder which enables it to overpower a prey larger than itself. The tail is usually slightly shorter than half the head and body length. Their ears are small and rounded. The males can reach as long as nine to twelve feet and three to four feet high at the shoulder, weighing as much as 700 pounds. The females Siberian Tiger are somewhat smaller. Their coloration is lighter than other tiger species which is an environmental adaptation for survival.Siberian Tiger body fur is a reddish-fawn color with blackish-brown stripes and a white belly. Their long, thick fur enables them to withstand winter temperatures as low as -40 degrees. These tigers also develop a thick layer of fat on their belly and flanks as insulation from the cold. Built in 1988, the tiger exhibit is located in the middle of the Zoo’s main animal building, behind a beautiful water fountain. The windows exhibit may also be viewed from largeat either
end of the EcoStation Exhibit. Geographical Range There are a total of 200-300 Siberian tigers in the
Amur-Ussuri region of Asia (northern Asia), northern China and Korea. Southeastern Siberia and Manchuria. There are probably nearly as many Siberian tigers in captivity as there are roaming free due to habitat loss. Habitat: Reeds and bushes in river valleys, mountain taiga andmixed forests traversed by rivers with rock outcroppings. In summer they live at altitudes of up to4,000 feet; in winter they move to lower altitudes. The Amur tiger (also known as the Siberian tiger) inhabits areas along the Amur River in extreme eastern Russia. Habitat varies from tropical forests to tall grass jungles and coniferous woodlands. Tigers prefer forest areas or areas that provide dense cover, access to water and sufficient large prey. Known as “The Great Wanderers,” tigers cover large areas ranging from 1,200 to 1,600 square miles. Behaviors: Amur tigers often spend days staying cool by swimming in rivers, lakes and ponds. At sundown, they begin the hunt, generally patrolling water holes
popular to deer, boar and other large mammals. In the wild, tigers are solitary due to their hunting habits.
They hunt their prey by hiding in high grass or other cover and ambushing their intended target. Tigers will mark their territories with scent from scent glands, urine and scat. They will also produce claw marks from sharpening their claws on tree trunks. These marks carry scent from their feet.Tigers also advertise their territories by vocalizing, heard most often during the breeding season. Reproduction: Sexual maturity is reached at about 3 years of age. Siberian tigresses show behavioral estrous cycles and ovarian follicular phase cycles beginning in late January and ceasing in early June. Tigers usually mate from January to June but may mate at any time during the year. Mating will occur many times, up to 4 times per hour. The male will then seek another female in estrous. Litters of 1-4 cubs are born after a gestation of 104 days. The cubs are born blind and remain in the den for 3 months. At 13 weeks of age, the cubs begin to eat meat and are gradually weaned by 
17 months of age. They spend the next 12 months learning to hunt before going off at 2 - 3 years of age to
their own solitary lifestyle. Conservation Status: IUCN status: Critically Endangered on Red List 2004; CITES Appendix I. Human activities (poaching, hunting, logging, and loss of habitat) are the principal cause of declining tiger populations. Tigers have long been considered trophy animals and are therefore hunted for sport. Tiger parts are also used for ancient Chinese medicines. Native farmers kill tigers that have attacked their livestock. Amur tigers are part of the SSP (Species Survival Plan). Tatiana and Karana produced three cubs here in June of 2004, contributing to the SSP. Laws and tiger reserves are also helping to save the tigers in the wild. The Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program has released results indicating that Siberian tiger numbers are falling in the Russian Far East, primarily due to poaching and habitat degradation. The results can hopefully be used to improve conditions for tigers in Russia. Official estimates of Siberian tiger numbers in Russia come from full 
range surveys conducted only once every 10 years. The last such survey, conducted in 2005, revealed
that 428-502 tigers resided in Russia (compared to the 1995 survey, when 415-476 tigerswere reported). These results suggested that tiger numbers were stable during that 10-year period. But lots can happen to a tiger population during these ten-year interludes, so a yearly monitoring program was designed to act as an “early warning device” in case changes in the status of tigers occurred between full range surveys. Since 1998, tigers and their prey are counted on 16 survey units totaling 23,555 km2 (over 9000 square miles), which represent 15-18% of the existing tiger habitat in Russia. In 2009, only 56 adult tigers were counted on these survey units, representing a 40% decrease from the 12-year average. “We’re deeply concerned,” said Yuri Dunishenko, a scientist at the All-Russia Wildlife Research Institute in Khabarovsk, Russian Far East, and a coordinator of the Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program. “Deep snows this past winter may have forced tigers to reduce the
amount they traveled, making them less detectable, but nonetheless, we’ve seen a 4 - year trend of
decreasing numbers of tigers and this is most likely due to poaching. It’s time to respond.” Last winter’s extremely low count could be an anomaly in terms of tiger numbers, but trends in red deer and roe deer numbers (key prey for tigers), as well as tiger track counts all suggest that both prey and tiger numbers are falling in the Russian Far East. “If tiger numbers were responding to the reduced number of prey” said Dimitri Pikunov, one of the coordinators of the monitoring program and a representative of the Russian Academy of Sciences, “we would expect there to be a lag before we saw tigers decrease. The fact that both prey and tigers are falling simultaneously strongly suggests that poaching is the driving force.” Record snowfalls in the northern portions of tiger range further exacerbated the situation in 2009. At the epicenter Sikhote-Alin State Reserve, which is the largest reserve protecting tigers in Russia - two meters of snow fell in 3 days, paralyzing ungulates and burying their food resources. Director of the Reserve, Anatoly Astafiev, noted “We were able to minimize the impact of the deep snows by beefing up security along our border to reduce the chance of poachers harassing ungulates, but some animals nonetheless died of starvation.” The Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program, begun in 1998 through coordination of WCS and a number of Russian governmental organizations including protected area staff and members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has been largely funded by international sources, but in 2009, for the first time, the Russian Academy of Sciences provided key support. John Seidensticker, chairman of council of the Save-The-Tiger Fund, which has been the primary sponsor of the monitoring program, said, “We’re glad the monitoring program is serving its purpose, which is to warn us ofcoming dangers, though of course we wish the news were better. We’re hopeful that this information can be used to improve conditions.” Both within Russian and across the tiger’s range in Asia, poaching is considered one of the primary threats to tigers and appears to be the primary factor driving tigers to extinction The increase in demand for tiger products within Russia and continuing demand for use in traditional Asian medicines, in concert with inadequate laws, have exacerbated the poaching problem. Source:AnimalDiscovery
large canine teeth , muscular body, powerful limbs, especially the forearm and shoulder which enables it to overpower a prey larger than itself. The tail is usually slightly shorter than half the head and body length. Their ears are small and rounded. The males can reach as long as nine to twelve feet and three to four feet high at the shoulder, weighing as much as 700 pounds. The females Siberian Tiger are somewhat smaller. Their coloration is lighter than other tiger species which is an environmental adaptation for survival.Siberian Tiger body fur is a reddish-fawn color with blackish-brown stripes and a white belly. Their long, thick fur enables them to withstand winter temperatures as low as -40 degrees. These tigers also develop a thick layer of fat on their belly and flanks as insulation from the cold. Built in 1988, the tiger exhibit is located in the middle of the Zoo’s main animal building, behind a beautiful water fountain. The windows exhibit may also be viewed from largeat eitherend of the EcoStation Exhibit. Geographical Range There are a total of 200-300 Siberian tigers in the
Amur-Ussuri region of Asia (northern Asia), northern China and Korea. Southeastern Siberia and Manchuria. There are probably nearly as many Siberian tigers in captivity as there are roaming free due to habitat loss. Habitat: Reeds and bushes in river valleys, mountain taiga andmixed forests traversed by rivers with rock outcroppings. In summer they live at altitudes of up to4,000 feet; in winter they move to lower altitudes. The Amur tiger (also known as the Siberian tiger) inhabits areas along the Amur River in extreme eastern Russia. Habitat varies from tropical forests to tall grass jungles and coniferous woodlands. Tigers prefer forest areas or areas that provide dense cover, access to water and sufficient large prey. Known as “The Great Wanderers,” tigers cover large areas ranging from 1,200 to 1,600 square miles. Behaviors: Amur tigers often spend days staying cool by swimming in rivers, lakes and ponds. At sundown, they begin the hunt, generally patrolling water holespopular to deer, boar and other large mammals. In the wild, tigers are solitary due to their hunting habits.
They hunt their prey by hiding in high grass or other cover and ambushing their intended target. Tigers will mark their territories with scent from scent glands, urine and scat. They will also produce claw marks from sharpening their claws on tree trunks. These marks carry scent from their feet.Tigers also advertise their territories by vocalizing, heard most often during the breeding season. Reproduction: Sexual maturity is reached at about 3 years of age. Siberian tigresses show behavioral estrous cycles and ovarian follicular phase cycles beginning in late January and ceasing in early June. Tigers usually mate from January to June but may mate at any time during the year. Mating will occur many times, up to 4 times per hour. The male will then seek another female in estrous. Litters of 1-4 cubs are born after a gestation of 104 days. The cubs are born blind and remain in the den for 3 months. At 13 weeks of age, the cubs begin to eat meat and are gradually weaned by 17 months of age. They spend the next 12 months learning to hunt before going off at 2 - 3 years of age to
their own solitary lifestyle. Conservation Status: IUCN status: Critically Endangered on Red List 2004; CITES Appendix I. Human activities (poaching, hunting, logging, and loss of habitat) are the principal cause of declining tiger populations. Tigers have long been considered trophy animals and are therefore hunted for sport. Tiger parts are also used for ancient Chinese medicines. Native farmers kill tigers that have attacked their livestock. Amur tigers are part of the SSP (Species Survival Plan). Tatiana and Karana produced three cubs here in June of 2004, contributing to the SSP. Laws and tiger reserves are also helping to save the tigers in the wild. The Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program has released results indicating that Siberian tiger numbers are falling in the Russian Far East, primarily due to poaching and habitat degradation. The results can hopefully be used to improve conditions for tigers in Russia. Official estimates of Siberian tiger numbers in Russia come from full range surveys conducted only once every 10 years. The last such survey, conducted in 2005, revealed
that 428-502 tigers resided in Russia (compared to the 1995 survey, when 415-476 tigerswere reported). These results suggested that tiger numbers were stable during that 10-year period. But lots can happen to a tiger population during these ten-year interludes, so a yearly monitoring program was designed to act as an “early warning device” in case changes in the status of tigers occurred between full range surveys. Since 1998, tigers and their prey are counted on 16 survey units totaling 23,555 km2 (over 9000 square miles), which represent 15-18% of the existing tiger habitat in Russia. In 2009, only 56 adult tigers were counted on these survey units, representing a 40% decrease from the 12-year average. “We’re deeply concerned,” said Yuri Dunishenko, a scientist at the All-Russia Wildlife Research Institute in Khabarovsk, Russian Far East, and a coordinator of the Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program. “Deep snows this past winter may have forced tigers to reduce the amount they traveled, making them less detectable, but nonetheless, we’ve seen a 4 - year trend of
decreasing numbers of tigers and this is most likely due to poaching. It’s time to respond.” Last winter’s extremely low count could be an anomaly in terms of tiger numbers, but trends in red deer and roe deer numbers (key prey for tigers), as well as tiger track counts all suggest that both prey and tiger numbers are falling in the Russian Far East. “If tiger numbers were responding to the reduced number of prey” said Dimitri Pikunov, one of the coordinators of the monitoring program and a representative of the Russian Academy of Sciences, “we would expect there to be a lag before we saw tigers decrease. The fact that both prey and tigers are falling simultaneously strongly suggests that poaching is the driving force.” Record snowfalls in the northern portions of tiger range further exacerbated the situation in 2009. At the epicenter Sikhote-Alin State Reserve, which is the largest reserve protecting tigers in Russia - two meters of snow fell in 3 days, paralyzing ungulates and burying their food resources. Director of the Reserve, Anatoly Astafiev, noted “We were able to minimize the impact of the deep snows by beefing up security along our border to reduce the chance of poachers harassing ungulates, but some animals nonetheless died of starvation.” The Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program, begun in 1998 through coordination of WCS and a number of Russian governmental organizations including protected area staff and members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has been largely funded by international sources, but in 2009, for the first time, the Russian Academy of Sciences provided key support. John Seidensticker, chairman of council of the Save-The-Tiger Fund, which has been the primary sponsor of the monitoring program, said, “We’re glad the monitoring program is serving its purpose, which is to warn us ofcoming dangers, though of course we wish the news were better. We’re hopeful that this information can be used to improve conditions.” Both within Russian and across the tiger’s range in Asia, poaching is considered one of the primary threats to tigers and appears to be the primary factor driving tigers to extinction The increase in demand for tiger products within Russia and continuing demand for use in traditional Asian medicines, in concert with inadequate laws, have exacerbated the poaching problem. Source:AnimalDiscovery
