Tiger Released to the Wild in Russia's Far East

MOSCOW, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, a 14 month-old tiger was
successfully released to the wild. One of only an estimated 450 surviving Amur
tigers in the wild, the cub spent 6 months undergoing rehabilitation supported
by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW - www.ifaw.org) and other
groups and government agencies. Prior to the release, the tiger was
radio-collared by scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences who will
monitor the cub in the following months.

The orphan tiger was found last March when it wandered into the village of
Avangard desperately looking for food. It was captured without resistance by
the tiger protection specialists from Inspection Tiger. The cub was given
little chance of surviving on its own. At eight months, the small and weak cub
weighed only 37 lbs (17kg).

From the 28th of May to the 15th of September, the tiger cub was under the
daily care of Dr. Viktor Udin. It was put on a special diet to gain weight, a
rehabilitation program to restore its natural hunting skills, and taught a
healthy fear of humans. When it was released today into the Ussuriisky Nature
Reserve the tiger was 70kg. and in good health..

"We are extremely happy and excited to have this tiger back in the wild. Our
hope is that this historic release will allow more endangered tigers to be
saved in the future. Today's release shows that scientifically-proven
rehabilitation techniques can translate into the conservation of one of the
world's most enigmatic species," said Masha Vorontsova, IFAW Russia Director.

Since 2007, IFAW has been involved in the rehabilitation of six orphan tiger
cubs, five of which were deemed non-releasable and live in captivity. Today's
release marks only the second time an endangered Amur tiger has been released
back to the wild after rehabilitation.

About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)
As the world's leading animal welfare organization, IFAW works from its global
headquarters in the United States and 16 country offices to improve the
welfare of wild and domestic animals by reducing the commercial exploitation
of animals, protecting wildlife habitats, and assisting animals in distress.
With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW works both on the ground and in
the halls of government to safeguard wild and domestic animals and seeks to
motivate the public to prevent cruelty to animals and to promote animal
welfare and conservation policies that advance the well-being of both animals
and people. To learn how you can help, please visit www.ifaw.org

SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare

Michael Booth, +1-508-744-2076; mbooth@ifaw.org, or Chris Cutter,
+1-508-744-2066; ccutter@ifaw.org, both of the International Fund for Animal
Welfare (US)