Support The Moscow Times!

8 Endangered Tiger Skins Recovered

The remains of Amur tigers fetch a high price from practitioners of traditional medicine in neighboring China.

Police in the Pirmorye region have opened a criminal case after seizing the skins of eight endangered Amur tigers.

Authorities discovered the tiger hides along with other animal parts and a large quantity of ginseng at a home in the settlement of Asenev on Aug. 24, RIA-Novosti reported.

They also discovered 150 rounds of rifle ammunition.

Police opened eight cases of illegal hunting, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison.

A local resident, who is believed to have bought the hides from across the region, has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm. He faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.

The find is the latest this year in a series of seizures of tiger parts, which fetch a high-price from practitioners of traditional medicine in neighboring China.

Regional authorities said earlier a "large haul" of tiger remains had been seized this year thanks to close coordination between conservationists and law enforcement agencies, including six hides that were seized from a resident of Nakhodka.

Authorities and conservationists said after a meeting in Vladivostok last week that poachers kill 30 to 50 tigers every year.

Experts have called for increasing penalties for poaching and smuggling the remains across national borders, regardless of the value of the items concerned.

The Amur tiger, which is native to Russia's Primorye and Khabarovsk regions, is the largest tiger subspecies. Only about 450 individual tigers are thought to remain in the wild.

Related articles:

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more