|
Cold threatens rare Russian tigers
22/03/2001 11:41 - (SA)
Moscow - The cold wave that froze Siberia this winter may prove a serious menace for Russia's endangered Amur tigers, local biologists warned on Wednesday.
"First of all, the abnormally low temperatures some 10 degrees
colder than usual froze the snow, and the tigers could not
noiselessly approach their natural prey," biologist Yuri Dunishenko
told the Itar-Tass news agency.
However, even though the weather had warmed up, "tigers cannot hunt for food because they are too weak with hunger," Dunishenko said, adding that nearly 80 percent of all tiger cubs succumbed to starvation and cold.
Besides this winter's troubles, the local deer had also
dramatically decreased in numbers, depriving the nearly extinct
tigers of their natural food resource.
The Amur tiger, named after a river that runs through its natural far eastern habitat, has fought an increasing battle for survival
since the fall of the Soviet Union, when Russia opened its borders
to poachers and environmental norms all but disappeared. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA
|
