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Home , Kavalerovo, Kraskino, Lazovsky District, Luchegorsk, Nadezhdinsky District, Pozharsky District

Phoenix Fund

Conflict Tiger Cases Resolution in 2004

Final report January 01 – December 31,2004

Vladivostok 2004 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

FINAL REPORT January 01 – December 31, 2004

Grantor: Save the Tiger Fund Project Name: Conflict Tiger Cases Resolution in 2004 Project #: 2004-0103-027 Grantee: The Phoenix Fund Reported Period: January 01 – December 31, 2004 Grant Period: January 01 – December 31, 2004

I. Project overview

The goal of the project is to ensure long-term survival of the Siberian / Amur tiger and peaceful coexistence of people and tigers in the Russian through timely human-tiger conflicts resolution and outreach activities.

II. Project activities

For the reported period 62 conflict tiger cases were reported and investigated in Primorsky and Khabarovsky krais. It is twice as many cases as in 2003. This increase can be connected with a more intensified economic development in the region. Logging, both legal and illegal, and harvesting berries, pinecones etc in the forest, represent an anthropogenic pressure on tiger habitat. Forest fires, hunting and poaching also decrease tiger habitat and prey base and make tigers come to human settlements. Four of the cases started at the end of 2003. Two cases were investigated by Khabarovsky Hunting Management Department.

In total, 9 tiger death cases were reported in the tiger habitat, 7 of which were investigated by the Inspection Tiger teams (1 in Khabarovsky region (case No. 21 ) and 6 in Primorye (cases Nos. 1, 17, 19, 29, 48) + one tiger was found shot near and one emaciated tiger cub was killed in an attack on a man in Khabarovsky region); 3 human casualties (1 man was killed by a tiger in Khabarovsky region (case No. 21), 1 was killed and another one was injured by tigers in Primorye (cases Nos. 17, 19) were registered for the reported period. Despite an increase in conflict tiger cases in 2004, the tiger population seems to be stable. Tiger tracks and visits were reported in Amursky region, to the west of Khabarovsky region, where Amur tigers had been seen in the beginning of the 20th century. One can suppose that tigers started wandering there in search of new habitat.

Industrial development in the south of Khabarovsky region and Primorye will speed up in the nearest future. First of all, it is connected with the decision of the Government to start construction of the oil pipeline “ – ” in 2005; and the pipeline will go through the tiger habitat. The logging companies plan to increase logging in the region. We can suppose that this will lead to an increase in conflict tiger cases. To investigate, solve and prevent human- tiger conflicts in tiger habitat it is necessary to continue and develop this important tiger conservation project.

In connection with a two-fold increase in human- tiger conflicts in 2004, investigation of the cases required more funds, that is why the funds © Inspection Tiger Inspection Tiger rangers investigate a conflict tiger case. Tiger tracks were found near a human 2 settlement Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

($2,000) presupposed for the information support were used to investigate of the cases.

Human-tiger cases by districts and regions:

Khasan district () 9 Khabarovsky krai 8 Chernigovsky district (Primorsky krai) 7 Shkotovsky district (Primorsky krai) 5 Mikhailovsky district (Primorsky krai) 4 Kavalerovsky district (Primorsky krai) 3 (Primorsky krai) 3 Krasnoarmeisky district (Primorsky krai) 3 Anuchinsky district (Primorsky krai) 2 Dalnerechensky district (Primorsky krai) 2 Kirovsky district (Primorsky krai) 2 Pogranichny district (Primorsky krai) 2 Terneisky district (Primorsky krai) 2 Ussuriisky district (Primorsky krai) 2 Artyom district (Primorsky krai) 1 Chuguevsky district (Primorsky krai) 1 (Primorsky krai) 1 Lesozavodskoy district (Primorsky krai) 1 Olginsky district (Primorsky krai) 1 Partizansky district (Primorsky krai) 1 (Primorsky krai) 1 Spassky district (Primorsky krai) 1

Total: 62 conflict tiger cases

3 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

Project activities

1. In November 2003 an adult female tigress wandered into a Russian town exhibiting abnormal behavior. Now it is confirmed that it had the disease (canine distemper), which is fatal in cats. It is suspected that the tiger caught the disease from an infected domestic dog. Despite heroic efforts of scientists to save her, the tiger died in January 2004.

2, 3. From December 20, 2003 to January 07, 2004 the tiger had killed 10 dogs near Novogordeevka . Local people were given special instructions on how to behave in tiger habitat. During these two months the team was also solving the conflict tiger case near Chernigovka village. Taking into consideration high human density in Chernigovsky district and that there was a real danger of tiger attack on people, Inspection Tiger forwarded a letter to the Ministry of Natural Resources with a request to permit capturing the predator and moving it to another place. Unfortunately, the Special Emergency Response team did not manage to capture the tiger that went deep into the forest. The control over the situation was entrusted to local wildlife managers.

4. On December 20, 2003 Inspection Tiger received information that on December 18, 2003 a tiger had attacked livestock in Centralnoye village, Shkotovsky district. A farmer found a dead horse with visible tiger traces when he had come to give water to horses. One horse had serious injuries on the body. The Inspection Tiger rangers checked the information and confirmed that a tiger had attacked livestock. After investigation it was determined that the tiger (8.5 – 9 cm paw width) had been living on that territory for more then 2 - 3 years. Taking into consideration the fact that there is a big human population density (the place is about 100 km far from ) the Special Emergency Response team decided to capture the animal and move it to the taiga. After receiving permission from the Ministry of Natural Resources on December 23, the team went to capture the predator. But during two weeks the tiger did not appear any more. Probably, it was the result of undertaken deterrent measures.

5. From January 07 to January 15, 2004 Inspection Tiger received several reports from villagers of Anuchinsky district © Inspection Tiger that the tiger had appeared there again. As the team could Remains of the horse killed by a tiger not scare the tiger away, Inspection Tiger sent a request for permission to capture the predator. After the permission was received, on January 16 the Special Emergency Response team went to capture the tiger. It was determined that the tiger was moving between three and never stopped for a long time in any of them. As a result of frequent snowfalls the tiger changed its routes constantly, and therefore the rangers failed to catch it with snares. The team decided to track the tiger, but all attempts to find the cat were ineffective. When the team left Anuchinsky district, Inspection Tiger headquarters received several calls that the tiger had come back and injured a horse in Starogordeevka village (January 26) and killed two dogs (January 27-28). On January 31 the tiger killed a dog at villagers’ sight. On February 02 the predator visited Novogordeevka village and killed two dogs. One more dog was killed at 3 a.m. on February 04. The Special Emergency Response team could come to solve conflict situation only on February 12. The team rangers stayed there till February 22, but the tiger did not appear. On February 24, 2004 Inspection Tiger received another information on tiger presence in Elovka village. It was ascertained that it had been the same tiger as in the previous conflict cases. Thus, the team was working till February 25 and then it moved in Chernigovka village as conflict tiger case took place there.

4 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

6. On January 20, 2004 Inspection Tiger received information that a tiger had appeared in Merkushovka village, Chernigovsky district. On January 27, 2004 the Special Emergency Respond team, together with the rangers from “Sofit” hunting society, came to the scene. Later on, it was determined that the tiger (9-10 cm paw width) tried to get into one of the farms, but thanks to good quality of the farm fence and deep snow the tiger could not do it. Fortunately, the tiger did not make other attempts to get into the farm. The animal went deep into the forest and did not come back any more. The local people were instructed on safety rules.

7. On January 21 Inspection Tiger headquarters received information that a tiger had injured a man in Dalnerechensky district of Primorye. As a result of investigation, it was determined that a bear, not tiger, had attacked a man.

8. On January 15 the Special Emergency Response team received a call from a forestry officer of Izmailihinsky forestry, who informed that a tiger had killed three dogs and chased motorcyclists near Meteoritny village, Krasnoarmeisky district. On January 17 the team went to investigate the case. As a result, it was ascertained that local hunters had saw the tiger on the logging road in the beginning of January and it was not aggressive. At the moment of investigation the tiger went into the forest and did not appear any more. The team rangers instructed local people on the guidelines of human behavior in tiger habitat and taught how to scare a tiger away.

9. On January 26, a manager from Agro-Khasan deer farm informed that a tiger had killed a horse. In order to check the information, the Khasan anti-poaching team ranger of Inspection Tiger arrived to the scene. As a result, the ranger ascertained that a tiger (10 cm paw width) had killed a 7-year old horse. Taking into consideration that that tiger had already killed 3 deer, a calf, and young and mature horses for the last 6 months, administration of Agro-Khasan deer farm was aggressive towards the predator. Therefore, the rangers made several shots to scare the tiger away.

10. On February 11, Inspection Tiger headquarters received information that a tiger had entered one of country houses in Nadezhdinsky district, and local people had wounded the wild cat in attempt to scare it away. Immediately afterwards, the Special Emergency Response Team, together with Nadezhdinsky police, encircled the territory and informed local people about the danger to meet the predator. The team conducted investigation and did not find any evidence of tiger presence. Information appeared to be a false alarm. © Inspection Tiger 11. On February 12, Vladivostok anti-poaching team of Rangers are measuring tiger tracks Inspection Tiger received information from a director of Provalovsky deer farm that a tiger had killed a 1.5 year-old horse and four deer there. The team went to check the information and found out that a tiger (12 cm paw width) visited a deer farm. As it was getting dark, the rangers decided to stop tracking the tiger and shot 8 signal rockets to scare the predator away. Next day the team continued tracking the tiger and found deer remains and tiger tracks, going away through a creep in the fence towards the Gryaznaya riverside. To scare the tiger away, it was agreed to set up 5 tension-rods with pyrotechnics on the creep. Two of tension-rods snapped into action and the tiger left for the Gryaznaya upstream. During February 15-16 the team was watching if the tiger appeared in the outskirts of

5 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004 the deer farm. The predator did not come back. The team had a talk to the director of the farm on safety guidelines and left the farm.

12. On February 21, 2004 the head of Inspection Tiger got information from “Nota” hunting society staff (Chuguevsky district) that there was a tiger in a snare. Two wildlife managers were monitoring the wildlife in "Nota" hunting lease when they heard a tiger roar on an abandoned logging road. The sounds were coming from one place and the animal's angry roar was mixed with piteous groans. They crawled to a small fir-trees forest and spotted a tiger rushing in a snare tied to a tree. The guys took several photos and hurried to inform others about the accident with the endangered animal. Boris Litvinov, the head of the Special Response team based in Ternei village, realized the danger for a tiger to get into a snare in winter and hurried to the place of accident together with the specialists of the Siberian Tiger Project of the Wildlife Conservation Society. There they sedated and examined the animal- an 8-year old male tiger (about 160 - 180 kg, paw width 10 cm) got into an 8-mm snare with its head and front legs. The tiger was lucky, as the snare did not fix on the animal body. Besides, the temperature was about 0°C (32 F) during the day and there was a mild frost during the night, though usually there is almost arctic weather in winter. Moreover, the tiger smashed down all the small trees in 2-3 meters around it and made a fir mattress on the snow. Having supplied the tiger with a radio collar, the team took it to a rehabilitation center in Ternei. When it was determined that there were no internal injuries, specialists decided to release the predator into the wild. The release went well, the tiger leapt from his cage about a minute after the door was opened, then it bounded about 20 meters into the forest, stopped, turned, and growled, before walking calmly away.

13. On February 23 an employee of Agro- Khasan deer farm informed about a conflict tiger case. Next day Inspection Tiger sent a request to the Ministry of Natural Resources to permit to capture the conflict tiger. On February 25 the same tiger killed a horse in the deer farm. The Vladivostok team of Inspection Tiger examined the surroundings and stayed there till February 28 in case the tiger appeared again. Then, the team left the deer farm. But on March 02 the tiger visited the deer farm again and killed a deer. On March 03 Vladivostok team, together with the Special Emergency © Inspection Tiger Rangers came to investigate a tiger attack on a horse in Response team, went to solve the conflict Centralnoye village, Shkotovsky district case. Upon arrival it was determined that the tiger had attacked a deer, but then it had been scared away from its prey. The rangers set up snares around the deer carcass and waited for the tiger. But large predator passed the snares, took the deer carcass and jumped over the farm fence. The farmers scared the tiger away again, set up snares around remains of killed deer, but the tiger managed to get to the remains, ate them and left the deer farm. During a couple of days the joint team tracked the tiger, but it left its favorite hunting ground. Teams stayed in the deer farm from March 07 till March 17, but the tiger did not appeared again. Therefore, the Special Emergency Response team left for its base.

14. On March 23 the head of Chernigovsky district administration informed that tiger tracks had been found 6 km far from Chernigovka village and the day after it a tiger had made an unsuccessful attempt to drag a dog away from a farm. The obtained information was checked by “Sofit” NGO members who have gained good experience from joint work with the Special Emergency Response team. In the beginning of 2004 “Sofit” members, together with rangers, tried to capture a problem tiger that managed to free itself from a snare (conflict case No.3). As

6 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004 a result of thorough investigation, it was determined that it was the same tiger. Having left the snare, the tiger moved to a settlement 15 km far from Chernigovka village. It was avoiding settlements for some time. But in the middle of March the tiger appeared again near the villages. As a result, one dog disappeared in Gribnoye village and a villager lost his dog during his walk in the forest. No more reports about tiger presence were recorded.

15. On April 15 Dr. Yudin informed that a tiger had been seen several times in Kalinovka village, Spassky district. Inspection Tiger rangers contacted Primorsky Hunting Management Department and asked to check the information. The wildlife managers gave an answer that that matter was a week standing, and that the tiger had dragged away a dog. No other tiger attack was recorded.

16. On May 05 a manager of Agro-Khasan deer farm informed that a tiger had killed a horse. Next day a team ranger went to the farm to check the information. It was ascertained that on May 03-04 the tiger had killed a 9-year old horse. The fact of tiger attack was confirmed by typically broken neck-bones and bites and tiger tracks found near dead animal. Size of tiger track was 10.2 cm that allows presupposing that the tiger killed deer and horses at Agro-Khasan deer farm many times. It was decided to send a letter with request to capture the tiger. After receiving permission from the Ministry of Natural Resources on May 07, the team went to catch the predator. After arrival to the scene the team set up 7 snares with dogs along tiger paths leading to the deer farm. During three weeks the snares were checked twice per day, however the tiger was not caught. The rangers noticed that the tiger did not react to the bait. During the next 4 days the predator did not appear in controlled region. Probably, the tiger felt human presence and left the district. Seven days later the Special Emergency Response team decided to stop capturing.

17. On May 14 a local from Melnichnoye village, Krasnoarmeisky district, was attacked by an Amur tiger. The local was inspector of Sikhote-Alin nature reserve returning home after his working day. According to the words of the attacked man, the one-year old tiger attacked him from behind. As a man did not have a rifle, he could not make a strong resistance, the tiger injured him and went away into the forest. The man received a lot of injuries on hands, legs and head. A joint team of Inspection Tiger rangers, specialists of the Siberian Tiger Project of the Wildlife Conservation Society and staff members of Sikhote-Alin nature reserve was sent to the scene. Inspection Tiger sent a letter to the Ministry of Natural Resources with request to permit to capture the tiger. On May 17 the joint team received information that tiger tracks had been found near the Gremuchy stream. Inspection Tiger ranger and a specialist of the Siberian Tiger Project of WCS went to check the information and found a corpse of Amur tiger 3 km far from Melnichnoye village. It was a 3-year old tigress (paw width 9.5 cm). During primary examination of the dead animal the rangers found injury near its front left scapula, presumably a gunshot wound. The dead tigress was lying in the stream 11 m far from a road. No human footprints were found around the corpse. Probably, the tigress was shot from the road and nobody came up to the dead body. All materials were forwarded to Krasnoarmeisky police department and handed over to the head of Inspection Tiger. The corpse of the tigress was transported to Ternei village for a thorough post-mortem examination. It revealed three gunshot wounds in shoulder-girdle; one toe was absent on the front left leg; gunshot wound was found in abdomen; three bullets were taken from the body.

© Inspection Tiger Deer farm in Bezverkhovo village As the corpse had laid in the forest in high visited repeatedly by a tiger in 2004 temperature for several days and it started

7 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004 decomposing, it was decided to destroy the corpse by burning it. The burning of the corpse was carried out on May 19 meeting all the requirements.

18. On May 17 Inspection Tiger received information that a tiger had attacked livestock in Centralnoye village, Shkotovsky district. On May 18 the team visited Centralnoye village. It was ascertained that the tiger had injured a horse pasturing near the village. The rangers did not find fresh tiger tracks near the place of incident. The team had a talk to the owner of the horse on safety guidelines and left the village.

19. On May 28, 2004 an anonym informed that an Amur tiger had been killed near village and one of poachers had received severe injuries. It was ascertained that a group of local people had entered the territory between the border patrol fence (BPF) and Chinese border. BPF is a border protection zone between and , which includes a 3 m high barbed wire fence, a 20 m zone of habitat for wildlife where hunting is strictly prohibited. This border region is officially off-limits to all but border patrol officers, but it is generally known that hunting still occurs there. It was determined that on May 24 at 4:15 a.m. a man with a lot of injuries had been transported to the medical center of a military unit. Next day that man was transported to Vladivostok city. But on May 26 he died and was buried shortly. Relatives of the dead man considered that he had been attacked by a dog. The Khasan team rangers questioned his surgeon from the military unit and he told that he had found 38 injuries on the human body and some of them had been left by tiger claws. On May 30 the Khasan team received another call from anonymous person and found that two accomplices drove by a caterpillar tractor towards BPF in order to conceal sings of killing the tiger and take it out from the border patrol zone. The Khasan team found fresh tracks of a caterpillar tractor leading to a silo pit. Besides, the rangers found tarpaulin and big plastic bag with dag-locks near the silo pit. Probably, the poachers wrapped the tiger corpse in it for transportation. Afterwards, the rangers started digging out the pit and shortly after found the dead animal and forwarded it to Ussuriisk city for post-mortal examination. On May 31 an expert determined that a 4-5-year old tiger had been killed by four gunshots. Three bullets were extracted from the body for ballistic examination. According to supposition made by rangers, while hunting poachers spotted an animal lying in the bushes. They shot at it and sent one of the hunters to check what animal they had killed. When the poacher came up close to the animal, the tiger attacked him. After that, the poachers shot the tiger dead. Then, they took their injured friend to the hospital and buried the corpse of the tiger. As it was reported before the dead hunter had been buried very quickly without postmortem examination. Only after several days it was allowed to disclose a burial place and take out a corpse of the dead poacher in order to make postmortem examination. As a result, the fact of illegal tiger hunting was proved, but the criminal proceedings were not initiated because the guilty was dead.

20. On May 30 the team received a phone call that “Kamaz” vehicle had knocked down a tiger cub 5 km far from village. Immediately afterwards Inspection Tiger ranger and a specialist of Siberian Tiger Project of WCS went to check the obtained information. It was determined that a 5-6 month old tiger cub remained unharmed after collision. Three days later the team received information that the cub had returned to the place of collision with the vehicle and later it made an attempt to draw a dog away. From June 08 through June 10 the Special Emergency Response team conducted a thorough examination of the scene and Rudny © Inspection Tiger village. No tiger tracks were found. While Head of the deer killed by a tiger in Bezverkhovo deer farm, Southern Primorye 8 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004 carrying out investigation the rangers got information from an unofficial source that in April-May 2004 poachers had killed a tigress 40 km far from Rudny village. The tigress had two cubs. Probably, the tiger cub knocked down by a vehicle was one of the orphaned cubs.

21, 22. In May-June two conflict tiger cases occurred in Khabarovsky krai. Khabarovsky Hunting Management Department solved those cases without advising Inspection Tiger about it. The tiger attack and ate a man. In the process of investigation the man-eater was killed.

23. On May 30 the team received one more phone call from Agro-Khasan deer farm manager that a tiger had appeared on the territory of the deer farm again and killed a deer. The Khasan team of Inspection Tiger went to the scene to check information. The fact of tiger attack was proved. When the Special Emergency Response team came to the place, they decided to catch the tiger using special snares with a bait (dogs). However, during 10 days the team did not fix any attempt of predator to get into the deer farm. Thus, after June 26 the team rangers left Bezverkhovo village and returned in Ternei village. Having analyzed the case in Bezverkhovo village, it is possible to presuppose that predator is a mature and very cautious animal and only one-month large-scale capturing measures with many specialists can give a positive result.

24. On June 07 a tiger was observed in Gornotaezhny village of Ussuriisky district. The rangers found a tiger track (paw width 12 cm). Local villagers told that from June 05 to June 07 two dogs had disappeared from country houses. The team had a talk to the villagers on safety guidelines and left the village. But on June 08 Inspection Tiger received another information that the tiger had killed a dog near country houses. Taking into consideration high human density in that region and big size of the predator, Inspection Tiger sent a request to the Ministry of Natural Resources to permit to capture the tiger. From June 08 to June 15 the team rangers took capturing measures, however no evidence of tiger presence was revealed. Then, the team took © Inspection Tiger measures to deter the predator away. Thus, the Tiger track situation was under control till June 15. Next month the information about tiger presence was not received.

25. On June 10 the headquarters of Inspection Tiger received a phone call from Primorsky Hunting Management Department with information that a tiger had carried away a dog near Tigrovaya railway station, Partizansky district. After a 30- minute search a military defense team found tiger tracks near the station and confirmed the tiger presence. Inspection Tiger rangers took deterrent measures and now the situation is under control.

26. On June 26 an official from Chernigovsky district administration informed that people had seen a tiger near one of the houses at 6:45 a.m. Besides, he reminded of three conflict cases investigated by Inspection Tiger in the beginning of the year in the same place (see cases Nos. 3, 14). The control over the situation was entrusted to local wildlife managers from “Sofit” NGO. They took measures to scare the tiger away.

27. On June 23 a tigress with a cub was observed near Dalnerechensky frontier post №8. On June 24 Inspection Tiger rangers went to check the information and found tiger tracks (paw width 9 and 10 cm) on check-tracking zone. None of the border guards saw the tiger. A special border guard simulator had been set up on the check-tracking zone. At that moment it disappeared. While examining the place the rangers found a head and other parts of the border guard simulator. The rangers instructed the border guards on safety rules and 9 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004 trained them in using deterrents. During July 25-30 the border guards were examining the whole territory of the frontier post. As there was no evidence of tiger presence the rangers left the post.

28. On June 28 a woman from Kluchevoye village, Nadezhdinsky district, informed that a tiger with a cub had been observed near Nezhinsky hunting lease. She told that local people had seen the tiger regularly in that area and asked how to behave in that situation. Inspection Tiger rangers consulted her on rules of human behavior in tiger habitat and gave her telephone numbers for urgent contact.

29. On July 29 at 10:30 a.m. the head of Svetlogorie village administration (Pozharsky district) informed the leader of the Bikin team of Inspection Tiger that a tiger had walked near the village. The wildlife manager also gave the same information. To check the information a joint team consisting of Inspection Tiger rangers and senior wildlife manager from city went to the scene. The team interviewed local people and found out that the tiger seemed to be injured. The rangers went to examine the surroundings and found a place where the tiger had laid 300 m far from the © Inspection Tiger settlement. Close to that place the team heard Burning tiger remains a tiger roar and saw the tiger attacking. The rangers fired two shots in the air and the predator changed its direction and went away into the forest. In 30-40 minutes the team heard screams of people who were watching the rangers at a distance. They were shouting that the tiger had gone around and was moving to attack rangers from the rear. Having noticed the tiger in the distance of 10-15 meters, the rangers fired two more shots, as there was a real threat to their life. The predator turned to the forest and disappeared in the bush. Immediately afterwards the team forward all information to the headquarters of Inspection Tiger. And shortly after it was decided to take deterrent measures with a purpose to scare the tiger away from the human settlement. A group of five hunters with three dogs was made to take those measures. Local people were notified in advance. At 4:50 p.m. the group started searching for the tiger. Soon the dog started barking as the tiger was hiding in the bush. When people came close to the big predator, it made another attempt to attack. As a result, the tiger was killed in order to avoid people’s death. Later on, the tiger corpse was examined and old injuries on tiger leg and neck were found. Presumably, the killed animal had bullet wounds with haematoma and swellings. To determine the nature of the injures, the dead body was transported for postmortem examination to zoological center of Institute of Biology & Soil of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Science. As a result of examination, it was ascertained that it was a 5 – year old tigress. During skinning the corpse, 5 leaden grape-shots (9 mm in diameter) and 1 leaden bullet were found in the animal’s neck. Judging by position of the shells, it was determined that shooting had been conducted top-down from double-barreled gun in the 10 m distance. The shots were made from one side when the animal was standing sideways towards the shooting person and did not pose a threat. Probably, shooting was conducted from a tree with a purpose to kill the tiger. The predator had lived for three days after receiving injures. Besides injures left by leaden bullets, there were bullet shots left by rifle in chest and head. Later, the rangers found out that local people had heard gunshots on July 28-29 not far from the settlement. All gathered materials were forwarded to Pozharskoye police department for further investigation.

30. On August 03 the Khasan team of Inspection Tiger received information from a farm worker that during the previous week people had heard the roars of a big animal, presumably tiger,

10 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004 near Sukhanovka village, Khasan district. Next day the team went to check the obtained information. As a result, no tiger tracks or other evidence of tiger presence were found. The rangers fired in the air in case the predator was close. The team instructed farmers on the rules of human behavior in tiger habitat and told about deterrent measures. After that, the team forwarded information to the headquarters of Inspection Tiger and left the village.

31. On August 06 the headquarters of Inspection Tiger got information from a police officer of Kirovsky police department about Amur tiger presence. He told that from July 31 to August 03 their police department received two reports from local people that tiger had been seen near Bolshie Kluchi village, Kirovsky district. The tiger killed a 6-month old cow and two sheep. The police officers checked information and confirmed the fact of tiger attacks on livestock. Inspection Tiger team met with the officers of Kirovsky police department, visited the place of tiger attack and met with local people in order to instruct them on how to behave in case the predator appeared again.

32. On August 06 the leader of Khabarovsky team of Inspection Tiger received information that a tiger had killed a dog on the territory of Mukhensky mineral spring, Nanaisky district (about 30 km far from Mukhen village). Immediately afterwards, the team went to investigate the case. It was ascertained that the tiger had already killed 4 dogs for the last two months near mineral spring. The last case happened near an administrative building and the guard saw an adult tiger. The rangers gave instructions on safety rules and asked to take away the dogs from the spring territory.

33. On August 19 a beekeeper from Shkotovsky district informed that Amur tiger lived near Sukhoy stream 6 km far from Mnogoudobnoe village since June 2004. The tiger did not enter the area of apiary, but it continued living near the human settlement. At night on August 18 the tiger killed a dog on the territory of apiary, but did not eat it, left the dog on the ground and went away. The Special Emergency Response team instructed the witnesses on rules of behavior and told about deterrent measures.

34. On August 17 the headquarters of Inspection Tiger received information from the head of Kavalerovsky district administration that since May 2004 local people occasionally met a tiger. Next day the Special Emergency Response team went to the scene. In was determined that that case was connected with case No. 20. When the team could not find and catch a tiger cub, it left Rudny village. After that, local people found tiger tracks several times and in August the tiger killed a dog. The rangers presupposed that the tiger cub had been lost and tigress retuned to the place of their parting. It tried to find its cub, moved secretly and avoid posing a threat to people. The situation was taken under control of the Special Emergency Response team.

35. On September 16 the headquarters of Inspection Tiger received information about tiger presence near the road police checking point in Khasan district. Immediately afterwards Inspection Tiger rangers went to check obtained information. As a result of interview with police officers, it was determined that on August 15 the tiger crossed the Gryaznaya River 10 m far from the road and moved towards the road police checkpoint. Later on, the tiger was noticed 50 m far from the checkpoint. Inspection Tiger rangers went to the place, but did not find any tiger tracks.

36. On September 17 a farmer from Kluchevoye village, Nadezhdinsky district, informed that two dogs had disappeared. Inspection Tiger rangers went to the scene, but neither tiger tracks, nor remains of dogs were found. The farmers wrote down telephone numbers in case of tiger appearance and were instructed on human behavior in tiger habitat.

37. On October 04, 2004 a journalist called Inspection Tiger headquarters and informed about tiger attacks on two dogs and two calves in Chistovodnoye village of Lazovsky district. In order to gather more information on the case the head of the Conflict Tiger team contacted the

11 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

Director of Lazovsky nature reserve, who informed that an Amur tiger had visited the surroundings of Chistovodnoye village several times since June 2004. Main victims of the tiger attacks were domestic animals. There was no recent information on tiger attacks, and all information presented by the journalist was collective. If necessary, the nature reserve officers conduct the deterrence measures near the reserve. Inspection Tiger agreed with the reserve that if there was an emergency, the Conflict Tiger team would be informed.

38. On October 05, Inspection Tiger received information that a tigress with a cub had been seen near “Sever – 3” coal mine at Mnogoudobnoye village of Shkotovsky district. Having come to the place, the rangers found out that at night on October 04 the excavator and truck drivers had seen a tigress with a cub coming out of the forest to the edge of the quarry and lying quietly there. The tigress was not aggressive and did not seem to be scared by the noise of working cars, though the distance to them was less than 100 meters. The truck driver started walking in their direction in order to scare them away, but the tigress did not show any anxiety. Having stayed there for about 30 minutes, the tigress left for the forest with the cub. Inspection Tiger rangers stayed at the quarry till the morning and carried out deterrence measures. All the information was forwarded to the head of the Conflict Tiger team; and considering the unusual behavior of the predator he decided to visit the quarry again.

Having come to the spot on October 09, the team was informed that the tigress with the cub had been seen again at night on October 07 near the quarry, and she was not aggressive. For the next five days the team stayed near the mine, making patrols during daytime and taking deterrence measures. The team also discussed with the quarry employees the safety rules and guidelines to human behavior in tiger habitat. After that the tiger has not been seen near the quarry.

39. On October 06 Inspection Tiger office received information about a wounded tigress with a cub near Rudny village of Shkotovsky district. Having come to the village, the team rangers talked to the villagers, but could not confirm the information.

40. On October 07, 2004 Inspection Tiger office received information that a tiger had appeared on the territory of the mineral spring 30 km far from Mukhen village of Nanaisky district. Khabarovsky anti-poaching team of Inspection Tiger went to investigate the case. The reason for the tiger visit was the dogs that were not kept on a leash. It was impossible to find tiger tracks as there was no snow. The team talked to the villagers about safety rules and guidelines to human behavior and livestock management in tiger habitat. The dogs were put on a leash, the tiger has not appeared in the village after that.

41. On October 11 and 12 Inspection Tiger received two messages from the head of the nature resources department of Olginsky district. The first message said that a group of pinecones gatherers (about 50 people) had met a tigress with a cub at a distance of 50 meters on the border of Kavalerovsky and Olginsky districts. The tigress looked at people and left far the forest, but the work of the group was paralyzed for the day. The other message said that the passengers of a regular bus in that district had seen a tiger dragging a carcass of a calf along the road paying no attention to the cars passing by. Then the tiger crossed the road and disappeared in the forest. These two messages were not considered as conflict tiger cases, but they show the acquired principles of tiger behavior.

42. On October 21, the head of Khabarovsky team of Inspection Tiger received information that a tiger had been seen again close to the mineral spring near Mukhen village of Nanaisky district. On October 22 the team went to the spot and organized deterrence measures. According to the information received, the tiger comes to that place once a month, stays for 1-2 days; and as the last tiger attack happened recently, there was a chance that the tiger had not left the area. At nighttime, the team made gunshots in the air and used signal rockets every two

12 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004 hours to scare the tiger away. After two days of the work there, the team left the area and keeps the situation there under control.

43. On October 24 the security guard of the macadam factory near Zavodskoy village informed Inspection Tiger about a tiger’s visit to the quarry of the factory. On October 25-26 the rangers went to investigate the case and made a beat around the factory and the quarry together with the security officers. Last time the tiger was seen on October 20-21, 2004. In total, the tiger was seen three times in daytime on the slope adjacent to the quarry, but the predator neither entered the quarry, nor showed aggressive attitude towards people and machines. The quarry workers and security guards were informed about safety rules and guidelines to human behavior in case of meeting a tiger. It was recommended to provide the flares to the guards.

44. On October 23, the Conflict Tiger team was informed that near the fish-factory on the left bank of the Serebryanka River, 2 km far from village, a tiger had killed a one –year old cow. Investigation and inquiry confirmed the case. Having talked to the Siberian Tiger project specialists of Wildlife Conservation Society, one supposed that the conflict tiger had had a radio-collar. The team decided to organize a twenty-four-hour post and carry out deterrence measures for three days. The team also talked to the local people and advised them on behavior and livestock management in tiger habitat.

45. On November 02, the head of Khabarovsky team of Inspection Tiger received information from the Director of Khorsky forestry that a tiger had killed a sheep 4 km far from Kutuzovka village in Lazo district. The beekeeper explained to the rangers that at 7 a.m. he let the sheep out of the shed and started cleaning it. In several minutes he heard some noise and having left the shed he saw a tiger dragging a sheep into the forest 40 meters far from the shed. Having preserved the tiger tracks (paw width 7 cm), he contacted the director of the forestry. As it was later found out, the first sheep was killed in spring, but the farmer did not inform about it. The tiger did not appear near the apiary in summer. The apiary and the farm are not fenced. Goats and sheep can walk in the forest. The team searched the area, but could not find the sheep’s remains. The rangers explained to the farmer the safety rules and guidelines to livestock management in tiger habitat.

46. On November 10, the head of the Conflict Tiger team of Inspection Tiger received a message from the head of Terney district administration that a tiger had come up to Amgu village. The investigation on November 12 - 13 found that at 08:20 a.m. on November 07 a villager had come into his yard and saw a small tiger running away with his dog in teeth. The dog was not kept on a leash. As there was no snow cover, one could not measure the tiger’s tracks. The team talked to the villagers about safety rules and recommended to keep dogs on a leash.

47. On November 12 Khabarovsky team was informed by the head of the nature © Michiel Hotte conservation department of Vyazemsky The Khasan team ranger found a dead tigress district of Khabarovsky region that a tiger had appeared on the territory of the quarry situated near the 159th km of Vladivostok – road (30 km far from Vyazemsky village). The investigation could not confirm the case. The search near the quarry did not reveal tracks or other signs of tiger presence.

13 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

48. On November 18, 2004 Andrei Yurchenko, leader of the Khasan team, received information that border guards had found a dead tigress in a snare in the border zone of Khasan district, Southern Primorye. On November 19, the Khasan team of Inspection Tiger went to check the information. As a result, the rangers found the predator’s corpse near the Bolshaya Gladkaya River in the border zone. The tigress ended up in a snare close to the top of the slope. It was quite far decomposed and there was hardly any meat left. It had probably been in the snare for about 2-4 weeks. An area of 8 meters in diameter around the tigress was trampled. There were no leaves on the ground left, indicating that the tigress had tried to free herself from the snare for a long time before it died. About 9 snares were found and removed along two 40 m long trails that went up along the slope that runs along the valley with a small brook. On a tree about 2 meters far from the tigress was another snare with a small piece of what seemed to be the boar hair. About 20 meters far from the tigress there was another trampled area around a snare, so probably another animal had died in that snare, but there were no remains there. Down the slope, towards the brook, there were two not very old deer skeletons in an open area with grass. The deer were probably not killed by a tiger because a tiger would probably have dragged the deer to a more secure spot. The tigress was transported to the base of the Khasan team in Slavyanka town. The body will be examined. Later, the border guards said that they had seen a small tiger cub 500-700 meters far from the spot where they had found the dead tigress. The Khasan team set up three feeding grounds there. The Inspection Tiger sent a letter to Russian Nature Use Control Department with a request to allow capturing the tiger cub. As soon as the permit was received the Khasan team, together with border guards, wildlife managers and local hunters, went looking for the cub. No results were achieved. State inspectors agreed with the border guards that they would inform Inspection Tiger if they find tiger tracks. The team had also found remains of unknown animal in that area and sent the bones to the medical experts who confirmed that those had been tiger bones. So at least two tigers dies there.

49. On November 20, the head of the Science department of Khankaisky nature reserve informed Inspection Tiger that a young tiger had been frequently seen seven km far from Pavlovo- Fedorovka village of Kirovsky district, and several attacks on domestic animals had been reported. During a conversation with the shepherd of the 300- horse herd near the village, one found out that on November 20 the shepherd had come from the village to check the herd and found a one-year old colt dead. The colt was limping (birth defect). The shepherd found scratches made by tiger claws on the colt’s neck. After the attack the tiger dragged the carcass in the ditch along the road for about 10 meters and ate its hindquarters and internal organs.

On November 21, the herdsman saw the tiger in the field about 200 meters away. According to the shepherd, the tiger was well-fed, but apparently sick, as its movements were sluggish and it sat down © Inspection Tiger often. As there was no snow cover, one could not The team takes deterrence measures measure the paw width. The herdsman and the villagers were informed about the safety rules and guidelines to human behavior and livestock management in tiger habitat.

During investigation Inspection Tiger sent an inquiry to the border guard headquarters to find out about a possible tiger crossing the Russian –Chinese border and received an answer that on November 20 a tiger had crossed the border on the territory of Verkhne- Nikolskaya frontier post. One can suppose that it was the same tiger.

14 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

50. On December 02, Inspection Tiger office received a phone call that a tiger had visited a farm 1.5 km far from Grodekovo village of Pogranichny district. A colt disappeared there on November 15, but as there was no snow cover it was impossible to find tracks. Probably, it was killed by a tiger. At night on December 01 a young cow disappeared from that farm. The farmer (an experienced hunter) found tiger tracks near the farm and having followed the tracks the farmer saw and scared the tiger away from its prey. The farmer did not come closer and contacted Inspection Tiger. Inspection Tiger rangers, together with the wildlife manager, visited the place of attack. There were a lot of tiger tracks (paw width 10.5 cm) around the carcass. After the conversation to the farmer it became clear that the attack had happened because of free ranging without any control. The team carried out deterrence measures every two hours and recommended the farmer to do the same for the next two days. The morning search around the farm did not reveal fresh tiger tracks.

51. On December 02, Inspection Tiger office received information about a conflict tiger case in Chernigovsky district of Primorye. Two dogs disappeared from a farm 6 km far from Chernigovka village after a big snowfall and the farmers found tiger tracks near the house. The last dog disappeared at night on December 01. Next day on his way to the farm one of the farmers saw a tiger eating something at a distance of about 200-300 meters. Having seen the man, the tiger ran away and was not aggressive towards the farmer. The farmer rushed to the building and contacted local authorities. On the same day an Inspection Tiger team went to investigate the case. They found out that the tiger was present near the farms since the beginning of the year.

(Inspection Tiger investigated two conflict tiger cases there, on January 19, 2004 and on March 23, 2004. In one of the cases the team tried to capture the predator, but the tiger managed to free himself from the snare and disappear in the forest. The next message about tiger presence was received on June 17, 2004. In that case the tiger attacked dogs kept on a leash in the farm 6 km far from Chernigovka village. One of the dogs died, the other was hurt. The tiger dragged the dog 150 meters to the road and left it there, probably, because he was scared away by a car. Later in the same farm the tiger attacked a dog and took it with the chain that it was kept on in the farmers’ sight (15-20 m).

For the period from November 24 – December 02 after a heavy snowfall, the tiger killed 3 dogs from 2 farms that are situated 5 km far from each other. At that period one of the farm workers saw a small tiger playing in the snow. According to the worker, it was 60-70 cm high that is why the worker first took it for the farmer’s dog.

On December 03 the Inspection Tiger team spent the night in one of the farms. At 00:30 am all three dogs of the farm showed signs of anxiety, two of them hid under the house, the third disappeared. As it was snowing all night and the next day, it was impossible to find tracks. The farmer saw a fresh tiger track 3 km far from the place where the team spent night. From the track he determined that the tiger was limping on hinder leg, but he did not see blood. So one can suppose that it was a 3-4 year old tigress, who had left her mother and settled in the area and had cubs. Her leg trauma © Inspection Tiger does not allow her hunt successfully in the Tiger tracks on the snow forest, so she started visiting the farms. The team carried out deterrence measures and keeps the situation under control.

15 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

52. On December 07 Inspection Tiger office received a phone call from the head of the hunting management department of Pogranichny district. He said that on December 06 one of the villagers of Zharikovo village had gone out to meet his cow. He had a dog with him. At some moment they met a big tiger. The dog attacked the tiger and was killed with one stroke of the paw. The tiger left quietly for the forest. Inspection Tiger team confirmed the case which gives ground to think that it was a young male tiger who develops new territory with enough prey base for him.

53. On December 08, Inspection Tiger headquarters received information about repeated visits of a tiger around Kavalerovo village. On December 09 an Inspection Tiger team, together with a representative of local authorities, went to check the information and confirmed the presence of a tiger. During investigation it was found out that at night on December 03 a tiger had appeared near the ore mining and processing enterprise where there had been six dogs. The dogs were alarmed and ran into the forest. One of the dogs returned with injuries and broken bones, the other dogs were unharmed. Next morning the villagers found tiger tracks (9.5 cm paw width) there. At night on December 05 the tiger was seen again, but that time the tracks went along one of the streets. He came close to one of the houses (1.5 – 2 m) where there were two dogs on a leash, but he was scared away and left for the forest. On December 14, the tiger appeared again near the storehouses and stole a dog, half of which he ate there; after that he appeared in the village and in sight of the local villager tried to take a dog from the chain and drag it over the fence. Using the fence to defend himself, the owner of the dog made an attempt to pull the dog out. According to the dog’s owner, the tiger was small. At night on December 15 the tiger returned to the remains of the dog, moved them 200 m and ate them up.

Inspection Tiger team, together with the specialists of the Siberian Tiger project of Wildlife Conservation Society, went to Kavalerovo village to investigate the case. According to the information received, it was a young tiger who lost his mother, could not hunt successfully in the forest because of deep snow and came into the village looking for easy prey.

Considering the situation and assumed age of the tiger, the team took a decision to capture the tiger and sent an inquiry for permission to capture the tiger to the Ministry. With the permission received, the joint team spent three days searching the surroundings of the village, but could not find fresh tracks. After that the search stopped and the situation is kept under control.

54. On November 08, a member of the regional hunters’ society contacted Inspection Tiger and informed that a tiger had attacked dogs in Donskoye village of Lesozavodskoy district and its behavior had been unnatural. There was a supposition that it had been the tiger that had appeared in Pavlo-Fedorovka village and possibly crossed the border from Chinese side. At that time Inspection Tiger did not have free rangers to investigate the case and gave recommendation how to deal in that situation.

55. On December 08, a representative of the nature use department of Mikhailovsky district contacted © Inspection Tiger Recorded tiger tracks (red spots) in Inspection Tiger and informed that a tiger had been Nikolayevka village, Mikhailovsky district of seen in Nikolayevka village. On December 09, a Primorye, Dec 17, 2004 message about tiger attack on dogs came. The Forest team of Inspection Tiger went to investigate

16 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004 the case and found out that the tiger had been seen in a farm situated in the forest far from the village. The tiger tried to kill a dog, but was scared away and left the farm. The reported tiger tracks appeared to be horse tracks which the seller of a local store took for the tiger tracks. In spite of all that, the team talked to the villagers about the safety rules and livestock management in tiger habitat.

56. While investigating a conflict tiger case in Nikolayevka village, the rangers received information that local hunters had found tiger tracks and tiger bed with blood near Tarasovka village 20 km far from Nikolayevka village. The team went to check the information, but despite a thorough search no tiger tracks were found.

57. On December 16, Inspection Tiger headquarters received a phone call that a tiger had been seen in Melnichnoye village of Krasnoarmeisky district. The rangers contacted the Forest Service and the director of Malnichny forestry to gather information, but could not find out the details and agreed to come if there was another message.

58. On December 17, Inspection Tiger received a message about a conflict tiger situation in Nikolayevka village of Mikhailovsky district. On that day, Vladivostok team of Inspection Tiger went to investigate the case. They talked to the head of local administration, met with local villagers and hunters who explained that for the last two weeks a tiger had been repeatedly seen near Nikolayevka village. The team found a lot of tiger tracks (paw width 7 cm) near the village. At night on December 11, the tiger stole a pumpkin from the kitchen garden and ate it up in the nearby ravine, which is evidenced by the tiger bed and tracks around it. On December 17, he made an attempt to kill a dog in a yard, but was scared away by the owner of the dog who took him for the neighbor’s dog. On the basis of the information received one can suppose that it was a young tiger without mother. The rangers noticed that the dogs were kept without a leash on most yards and they talked to the local authorities to took measures. The rangers talked to the local villagers about the safety rules and importance to save endangered predator.

59. On December 20, the wildlife manager of Chernigovsky district informed Inspection Tiger rangers that a tiger had entered a farm near Sivakovka village, killed a young bull in the enclosure and stayed there. The rangers went to check the information and found out that a tiger had killed a bull two days before, left the farm and did not appear near it after that.

60. On December 23, Inspection Tiger again received a message from Nikolayevka village that a tiger had been seen near the village. The rangers found tiger tracks (paw width 7 cm) 300 m far from the last houses. The team determined the direction of the tiger’s movement. The tiger went to the south- west of the village, then near the houses it turned to the road, went along the road for 150-200 m and descended to the Ilistaya river-bed, followed it for 350-400 m and then left for the forest in the north- east.

In most cases the tiger appeared in the village from the north-west using the river bed. In the north-west of the village there is an irrigation system near the river bed. The team saw a lot of pheasants’ and deer tracks there. One can suppose that before going to the village the tiger cub tries to hunt in that area and in case of failure he goes through the village on his way back (cutting the road and looking for a possible snack). The dogs start barking at 12 p.m. till 2 a.m. © Inspection Tiger Inspection Tiger ranger takes deterrent measures 17 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

Considering the situation the team decided to take deterrence measures at three places on the tiger’s path every three hours using gunshots in the air and signal rockets.

61. On December 23 the head of the nature use department of Chernigovsky administration contacted Inspection Tiger office and said that a tiger had appeared again near a farm 6 km far from Chernigovka village after a two-week break (see case No. 51). The information was checked and the situation is kept under control.

62. On December 25, the director of the “Portovik” youth camp in Khasan district informed that a tigress with a cub had killed three horses on the territory of the camp and that the tigress had stayed near the carcasses. The team went to investigate the case, confirmed the fact of tiger attack. The horses were free ranging 1.5 – 2 km far from the youth camp and were killed by a tiger there. Having examined two of three victims the rangers concluded that all of them had been killed by a tiger (paw width 11.5 cm). The rangers could not find evidence of the cub’s presence. Approaching to the third victim the rangers saw a tiger running away from the carcass. The attack was provoked by the disorganized livestock management in the camp. The authorities and employees of the camp were informed about safety rules, deterrence methods and guidelines to human behavior and livestock management in tiger habitat.

VI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This project is the result of joint efforts of many people and organizations. Thanks to support from the Save the Tiger Fund, we helped keep the Siberian tiger population stable in 2004 and prevent and resolve human-tiger conflict situations. We show our appreciation to Ms. Tracy Frish, Ms. Mandy Chesnutt and Mr. Brian Gratwicke for all patience and assistance and hope for our fruitful co-operation in the future.

18 Phoenix Final Report ______January 01 – December 31, 2004

TABLE 1: SPECIAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM’S RESULTS

1Q 2004 2Q 2004 3Q 2004 4Q 2004 Total Conflict tiger 14* 14 8 26 62 cases

Danger - - 1 - 1 “Control” 14 14 8 26 62 False information 2 - 3 2 7 (no evidence) Dead tiger 1 1 1 1 4 Captured and 1 - - - 1 released tiger Human causalities - 3 - - 3

Perished animals 10 dogs 4 dogs cow, 11 dogs 27 dogs 5 horses 2 horses 2 sheep, 2 2 calves, 10 horses 4 deer 1 deer dogs 3 horses 5 deer, 3 cows, 2 cows, 1 3 sheep, sheep 2 colts, 1 young 2 colts, 1 bull, 2 calves young bull

* 4 conflict tiger cases started at the end of 2003.

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