The world's largest tigers go on rampage in Russia, killing people and dogs as big cats invade Putin's cities and towns
The world's largest tigers have unleashed themselves on Russians and their pets, killing villagers and leaving trails of blood in the snow.
A man and his dog were killed by the same tiger in the Far East Russia amid a wave of bloody clashes that left people fearing for their lives.
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Heartbreaking CCTV footage has captured numerous attacks on the Guard dogs by hunting for Amur tigers, the largest of the world's big cats.
The recent brutality comes after the Russian president Vladimir Putin pioneered the rehabilitation of the Amur tiger in its natural habitat, eastern Russia.
Amur tigers are still endangered, but their numbers have grown rapidly since Putin launched his campaign.
It is estimated that more than 750 now live in the wild, many of which infiltrate Russian cities and towns, roam the streets of residential areas and attack their inhabitants.
Read more about tiger attacks
Some believe the clash between tigers and humans could be the result of urban sprawl as the beasts cannot find their usual prey.
Zoologist Sergei Kolchin described his view on the disturbing situation for the Russian environment news outlet Kedr.
He said: “In my opinion, [increased tiger attacks are] associated with the destruction of the predator's habitats due to logging, excessive hunting [the tiger’s prey] and African swine fever, which has decimated the remaining wild boar population.”
A 2018 report of the World Wide Fund for Nature cited similar reasoning for conflicts between tigers and humans in the Far East, Russia, stating: “The erosion and fragmentation of forests is reducing tiger habitat,
as well as that of its prey, causing tigers to look for alternative food (e.g
livestock) in or near human habitations.”
Human hunting has also helped reduce the number of tiger prey to some extent, the WWF writes.
In December, a man named Viktor S was mauled and killed by the same beast that had eaten his dog some time earlier.
Viktor's wife said he had “gone looking for the place where the dog was killed” in the village of Ober, Khabarovsk region, when he was attacked.
A chilling blood smear in the snow was one of the few traces of him left after the brutal slaughter.
The Amur Tiger Center, an organization dedicated to saving the species in Russia and founded at Putin's initiative, said in a statement: “We express our sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased.”
I think, [increased tiger attacks are] associated with the destruction of the predator's habitats…
Sergei Kolchin
Guard dogs, some at border posts and others at homes, have been killed in large numbers in several regions of eastern Russia.
Just this weekend, a dog was killed in the village of Kutuzovka, south of the city of Khabarovsk, while another was eaten about 40 kilometers away.
But people are also in serious danger.
19-year-old fisherman Sergey Kyalundzyuga was seriously injured last year when a wild tiger jumped through a window of a remote house in eastern Russia to attack him.
The animal was said to be hungry and emaciated when it pounced, shattered the glass and grabbed the teen.
Sergey's cousin was present at the time and shot the animal.
A 26-year-old woman barely survived a separate attack by the same type of cat, which left her with “severe lacerations” to her shoulder and both arms last year.
The animal jumped up when she ducked into the bushes to “go to the toilet” during a holiday; her husband drove his truck into the animal and saved her life.
Others haven't been so lucky.
The remains of a man were recently discovered 100 miles from where he went missing.
There would have been clear signs that he had been attacked and devoured by a tiger.
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