A tiger in Russia amazed wildlife experts by coming out of the wild and apparently seeking human help after it was injured.
The alpha male tiger, known as Tikhon, appeared at a remote border post between Russia and China on December 29.
The animal refused to leave even when border guards fired warning shots and was taken away for treatment.
Tikhon is credited with lifting the population of the endangered Siberian tiger by more than 50 per cent, from below 350 to more than 550.
Believed to be aged 15 or older, Tikhon fed himself near the border post by killing and eating two guard dogs.
Wildlife rangers were called in and noted the 'atypical' behaviour by the Siberian tiger, a species endemic to the Far East of Russia that normally shuns human contact.
Tikhon was finally sedated and taken away to a treatment centre in the village of Alekseyevka.
Sergey Aramilev, director of the Amur Tiger Centre, praised the border guards for not shooting the animal.
The behaviour of the tiger showed that after a lifetime in the wild this was 'an animal that came to them for help', he said.
The beast was later transported to a big cat rehabilitation centre - but experts now think that after a lifetime on the prowl, the tiger knew his time was up.
'The captured tiger is at least 15 years old, and maybe even older,' said Aramilev. 'By tiger standards, he is a deep old man, especially in the wild.'
An assessment will be made of injuries or diseases.
He said: 'Now we are waiting for the results of tests that will allow us to understand what to do next.
'But, apparently, the beast due to age will not be able to return to the wild.'
The alpha male tiger, known as Tikhon, appeared at a remote border post between Russia and China on December 29.
The animal refused to leave even when border guards fired warning shots and was taken away for treatment.
Tikhon is credited with lifting the population of the endangered Siberian tiger by more than 50 per cent, from below 350 to more than 550.
Believed to be aged 15 or older, Tikhon fed himself near the border post by killing and eating two guard dogs.
Wildlife rangers were called in and noted the 'atypical' behaviour by the Siberian tiger, a species endemic to the Far East of Russia that normally shuns human contact.
Tikhon was finally sedated and taken away to a treatment centre in the village of Alekseyevka.
Sergey Aramilev, director of the Amur Tiger Centre, praised the border guards for not shooting the animal.
The behaviour of the tiger showed that after a lifetime in the wild this was 'an animal that came to them for help', he said.
The beast was later transported to a big cat rehabilitation centre - but experts now think that after a lifetime on the prowl, the tiger knew his time was up.
'The captured tiger is at least 15 years old, and maybe even older,' said Aramilev. 'By tiger standards, he is a deep old man, especially in the wild.'
An assessment will be made of injuries or diseases.
He said: 'Now we are waiting for the results of tests that will allow us to understand what to do next.
'But, apparently, the beast due to age will not be able to return to the wild.'
Music: "Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Siberian Times, Daily Mail
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