An endangered Amur tiger (aka Baekdu-san tiger), which was returned to nature by an animal protection group in Russia last May, was recently killed by poachers.
According to Russia's state-run Tas news agency, on the 23rd, a Amur tiger was found dead in a village northeast of Blagoveshchensk, the capital of the Amur state.
Local investigative authorities suspected that the tiger had been hit by a poacher and investigated.
Tiger skins are often sold at high prices on the market, making them a major target for poachers.
Local media reported that the tiger, named'Pavlique', was an individual who returned to nature in May last year after undergoing rehabilitation treatment at the'Amur Tiger Center' in the Maritime Province.
In February 2018, Pavlique was rescued by a local animal group along with her mother who was wounded while hunting for food.
After hearing the news, Governor Vasily Orlov Amurzu strongly criticized his social media account: "People who commit crimes will face severe penalties."
Earlier in July, a man with a female tiger skin 3 to 5 years old who died by a bullet was caught by local police.
Crimes of illegally hunting endangered species in Russia can lead to up to four years in prison.
The Amur tiger is known to be the largest tiger species on the planet, and 90% of the surviving individuals of up to 600 animals are known to live in the Russian Maritime and Khabarovsk Province.
(Photo = Amur Tiger Center social network service (SNS) capture, Yonhap News)