TIGERS RETURN TO KAZAKHSTAN: TAKE THEIR FIRST STEPS IN KAZAKHSTAN WINTER

Originally published on WWF’s Tigers Alive This is a tiger reintroduction project led by the Kazakhstan Government and supported by WWF and other partners.

Two captive Amur tigers, Bodhana and Kuma, from a shelter for big cats in the Netherlands, have arrived at a semi-wild enclosure in the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan. Their arrival in the country marks a huge milestone in the government’s historic conservation project to return wild tigers to Kazakhstan.

The Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve lies in east Kazakhstan and is Central Asia’s largest natural delta and wetland complex. Tigers could once be found roaming this region, but decades of historic hunting drove them to extinction. Now, over 70 years later, tigers are about to return. It’s hoped the two captive tigers (male and female) will breed, and their cubs will become the first wild tigers to set their paws down on Kazakhstan soil.

Restoring the Roar to Central Asia

This tiger reintroduction project, led by the Kazakhstan Government, began in 2018 and isn’t just of national importance but could be the first-ever international reintroduction of tigers. Wild tigers are now only found in just 8% of their historic range, and habitat loss and fragmentation continue to be a threat. Returning wild tigers to where they have been lost is a long-term conservation investment but undoubtedly one of great importance. A recent WWF paper highlighted the potential to recover 1.7 million km2 of additional suitable landscapes where tigers could return. That’s more than twice the current tiger range, and in Central Asia, there are multiple expanses of currently unoccupied but potentially suitable tiger habitat.

Years in the Making

Returning an apex predator to a landscape is by no means an easy or simple task. Community engagement has been a long-term focus for the project. The Auyldastar community, which calls the surroundings of the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve home, have lived without tigers for over 70 years. While a generational gap exists, the cultural significance of tigers remains strong. However, initial surveys indicated some hesitation to bring back an apex predator to the landscape. Over the last six years WWF and other project partners have worked closely in partnership with the Auyldastar community to improve their facilities and infrastructure. After years of partnership, community members are integral to the project. Some are involved with growing seedlings, which will then be replanted in the reserve to improve the quality of the ecosystem for all, not just for tigers.

As community partnerships were built, habitat restoration across the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve intensified. To date, over 50 hectares of indigenous species of oleaster and willow have been planted to improve the quality of habitat for both tigers and their prey.

Restoration efforts will continue over the next few years after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between WWF International, the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve and The Royal Agricultural University. To strengthen the protection from forest fires, a volunteer firefighting brigade has been established within the local community.

Improving the habitat quality of the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve is not just for the benefit of tigers and people. Having healthy densities of tiger prey in the right places is the backbone of tiger conservation, and many populations of tiger prey have been driven to very low levels. Conservation efforts have been focused on restoring and increasing populations of wild pigs, goitered gazelles, Bukhara deer, and Asiatic wild ass.

Over the last six years Bukhara deer have been released into the wild to increase prey densities and these continue to be monitored.

Protection for future generations

It was largely historic hunting that drove tigers to extinction in Kazakhstan. While there are now strict laws that prohibit hunting of tigers in the wild, they are still sadly at risk from poachers. Protection efforts have been improved across the reserve, and the capacity of rangers has increased. New vehicles allow rangers to travel across the challenging terrain, which includes large areas of water, shrubland and in the winter months, a lot of snow. The ranger team, which is composed of over 60 people, has adopted SMART, a tool that enables rangers to collect and store information on illegal activity, map patrol routes, monitor wildlife and identify areas of habitat at risk.

What’s next?

The return of tigers to the wild in Kazakhstan has taken a huge step forward.

Community engagement will continue with the hope that a new population of wild tigers will increase sustainable tourism to the area.

As for the two captive tigers – they’ve been settling into their new enclosure and just experienced their first winter in the country. With the arrival of winter, their diets have been adjusted to ensure they have more food to survive in the colder temperatures. Their thick coats, which are adapted for very cold weather and unique to Amur tigers, will keep them warm throughout winter here.

The world will be waiting to see what comes next. If Bodhana and Kuma do successfully breed, the cubs will eventually be released into the wild once they’re ready to leave their mother. An intensive monitoring period will follow, as will more wild Amur tigers to ensure genetic diversity among Kazakhstan’s new wild tiger population.

There are less than 5,600 wild tigers left in the world. Endangered tigers need you. Join the people fighting for MORE ROAR – your gift could support vital tiger conservation work to help them survive.