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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/11/extinction-caspian-tiger-release-female-kazakhstan-aoe>
"On 31 July, “Umit” – which means hope in Kazakh – was released into a nature
reserve on the edge of Lake Balkhash after more than a decade of careful
planning to return the caspian tiger to the region. With this release,
Kazakhstan became the first country to restore its tiger range after they had
been thought extinct, with the last reliable sighting in the country recorded
more than 70 years ago.
Umit – a wild-caught female tiger transported from the Russian far east – will
be joined by more big cats in the coming years, with plans to establish a
self-sustaining population of about 50. A wild-caught male flown from Russia is
still being monitored by authorities and will be released when he is judged fit
to survive alone. Two wild tiger cubs are also being reared on the reserve in
special enclosures, with as little human contact as possible, and are likely to
be released into the marshlands next year, to feast on boar, deer and kulans, a
type of wild donkey.
“Today, we became witnesses of a truly historic event,” declared Yerlan
Nysanbayev, Kazakhstan’s environment minister, after the release. “There is a
lot of work ahead on monitoring tigers and forming a stable population, but
today the first and very important step has been taken.”"
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
