The Siberian tiger is the largest type of feline living today, measuring up to 3 metres or more from its nose to the tip of its tail. It is an endangered species and much has been done to protect it. For a while, these protection efforts met with some success. Recently, though, their numbers have begun to drop again.

Conservation efforts began in the early 1990s, and in 2005 there were nearly 400 Siberian tigers living in their natural habitat. Their population remained about the same during those dozen years or so, but in late 2006, the number of tigers killed by hunters increased again. Siberian tigers have a beautiful coat of fur, which is the main reason why they are hunted – even though in 1947 the practice of hunting them was made illegal in Russia, where the Siberian tiger mainly makes its home.

Wars – especially the Russian Civil War, which brought the soldiers of both armies to the Vladivostok area – have also had a terrible effect on the species’ numbers.

There were about 250 Siberian tigers in the 1980s, and illegal hunting threatened to make them extinct within a short time. A plan called the Siberian Tiger Project was launched in 1992, and researchers arrived in the area to monitor the population and study their ways of life in order to better help them survive.

The specific region where Siberian tigers live – the Far East – is an area also including small parts of China and North Korea. The tigers were once found in regions inside both those countries, but in North Korea it has been a long time since one was seen. In China, which co-operates with Russia in conservation efforts, they still exist. The two governments work together to raise awareness about the difficulties the animal faces and both send police protection to the tigers’ habitat.

Various ideas have been suggested for increasing the population of the Siberian tiger. One is that a home could be made for them in Central Asia, the natural habitat of the Caspian tiger, since it is a very close relative of the Siberian tiger. However, the problem with this suggestion is that there is not a large enough habitat available in this area to support them. Another idea is to introduce the tigers into a wildlife park being set up in Russia. Unfortunately, the park is in the planning stages and it could be several years before the tigers would be able to live there.

Although there are few Siberian tigers located in the wild, there are about a thousand living in zoos around the world. While it is not an ideal habitat, it is a safe environment for the tigers, and they are able to reproduce, which means it is unlikely that they will become extinct.

1) In 1990, there were fewer than 300 Siberian tigers in the world.

1. True
2. False
3. Not stated

2) In Russia, a person has the right to hunt a Siberian tiger.

1. True
2. False
3. Not stated

3) A lot of Siberian tigers were killed in a battle near Vladivostok.

1. True
2. False
3. Not stated

4) The Siberian Tiger Project was only concerned with stopping illegal hunting.

1. True
2. False
3. Not stated

5) North Korea participates in conservation efforts.

1. True
2. False
3. Not stated

6) Both Russia and China tell citizens about the problems Siberian tigers experience.

1. True
2. False
3. Not stated

7) Siberian tigers could live with other tigers if they had enough space.

1. True
2. False
3. Not stated

8) More Siberian tigers live in zoos than anywhere else.

1. True
2. False
3. Not stated