BEIJING
A Siberian tiger released by Russian President Vladimir Putin may spend the winter in China, where it is believed to have recently eaten chickens from a henhouse, according to local media.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported this weekend that "Kuzya" -- one of three tigers Putin freed into the wild last May who is tagged with a tracking device -- was detected moving southward away from Russia.
It quotes Eugene Simonov, coordinator of multinational NGO Rivers without Boundaries Coalition, as saying, "We have to prepare ourselves that Kuzya will spend winter in China.”
“The Russian experts have called for local Chinese not to feed the tiger with any poultry, which is vital to keep its wild survival ability," added Simonov, who is part of a joint program to find the tiger.
A week ago, Siberian tiger experts traveled to the forests of northeastern Heilongjiang province after hair, feces and tracks thought to belong to Kuzya were found in the Lesser Hinggan Mountain area.
The tiger may have eaten five chickens at a farm in Luobei County, according to Xinhua.
Jiang Guangshu, executive deputy chief of felid research at China’s forestry administration, said they had received updated findings from Russia.
"The tiger received special training before being released. It has been kept away from human beings,” Xinhua quoted him as saying. “The food it needs, such as wild boars and rabbits, can all be found in the area where it is staying."
In early October, Russia had issued a message to the Rivers without Boundaries Coalition informing that Ilona, another of the tigers released by Putin, was detected moving toward China.
Chen Zhigang, director of Taipinggou nature reserve in Heilongjiang, said personnel were removing any traps in the area and setting up over 60 cameras to capture an image of Ilona.
Putin has caught international attention with his diverse interactions with a variety of animals -- domestic and exotic.
In 2012, he led a flock of endangered Siberian cranes on a microlite from a bird sanctuary in Yamal ahead of their winter migration to Central Asia.
In 2013, he shook hands with a walrus at the under-construction Primorsky Aquarium during a tour of Russia’s far east. Later that year, RIA Novosti news agency published a series of photos showing the president in white-and-red sportswear, matching that of Olympic athletes, rolling in the snow near Moscow with his two dogs, an Akita Inu and a Karakachan.
Ahead of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, he led top officials to a sanctuary where he patted a leopard as it sat on his lap.
Tiger parts have been used in traditional Chinese medicine because of the animal’s strength and mythical power.
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