'And I Would Stalk a Hundred Miles' — Orphaned Tiger Pair Reconnect in the Wild

Conservationists put 120 miles between tigers Boris and Svetlaya on purpose. They hoped it would increase the chances of the Amur tigers helping to restore tiger populations across the Russian wilderness. But Boris and Svetlaya had other plans. 

The two unrelated tigers were orphaned between 3-5 months of age. They grew up in captivity together. When they both became young adults, Russian scientists reintroduced them to the wilds along the country’s border with China. There, only about 485-750 of the apex predators still roam. The scientists hoped the two tigers would find mates in their own regions.  

Instead, Boris loped across the Sikhote-Alin Mountains to return to Svetlaya. His path was charted by researchers. It was an almost perfectly straight line. How Boris knew where to go remains unclear. But the results are very clear. Boris and Svetlaya’s first litter of kittens was born six months after their reunion. Their efforts to spread the tiger population out had failed. The project’s leaders still hailed the news as a win.  

“These results indicate that it is possible to care for young cubs in a semi-captive environment, teach them how to hunt and to release them back into the wild,” the project’s leader told The New York Times. “These findings provide a pathway for returning tigers to large parts of Asia where habitat still exists but where tigers have been lost.”

The project is a joint effort between Russian and American researchers. All told, it has returned 13 tigers to the wild. Most have thrived.  

Reflect: What do you think it would feel like to see an animal you helped return to the wild thriving on its own?

Photo of tigers Boris and Svetlaya from Instagram courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society.