Russia to Send Four Amur Tigers to Kazakhstan to Help Restore Extinct Caspian Tiger Population

Russia will transfer four Amur tigers to Kazakhstan as part of a joint program to restore the population of the Caspian tiger’s closest relative in a major step toward reviving the region’s wildlife heritage.

The agreement was signed during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to Moscow, where the two countries approved an action plan for importing and adapting the big cats, The Caspian Post informs via Kazakh media.

Two Males and Two Females for Kazakhstan’s Wild

According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, two male and two female tigers will be relocated to the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve, where the first Amur tigers - brought earlier from the Netherlands - already live. Officials say the project could make Kazakhstan one of the first countries in the world to successfully reintroduce tigers to their historic habitat.

Bringing Back a Lost Symbol of Central Asia

The Amur tiger, native to Russia’s Far East, is the closest relative of the Caspian tiger, which once roamed Central Asia before going extinct in Kazakhstan in 1948. This initiative marks a symbolic return of the iconic predator to the region after more than 75 years.

Training for Coexistence

To ensure the project’s success, Russia will also train Kazakh specialists in managing human-tiger interactions and mitigating potential conflicts, according to Daniyar Turgambayev, Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Forestry and Wildlife Committee.

If successful, the program will not only help restore a vital part of Kazakhstan’s natural ecosystem, but also highlight the growing Kazakh-Russian cooperation in conservation and biodiversity protection.