Desperate Wild Tigress Sought Help From Humans
Siberian tigers aren’t known for their particularly friendly behavior towards humans, considering they are apex predators that have been poached for hundreds of years for their fur and teeth.
This rare predator, one of only 350-400 Siberian tigers left in the wild, typically lives in the snowy forests of eastern Russia, avoiding any and all contact with humans. So, it was quite a remarkable occurrence when a tigress, exhausted and desperate for help, made her way into a remote village in the Khabarovsk region of Russia.
She settled herself on a random porch, blocking the door, and waited. The resident, Alexey Khaideyev, found the massive, unexpected guest in the early morning hours, and after it was clear that she was not going to budge, he called emergency services for assistance.
Experts rushed to the aid of the tigress, sedating her in order to safely transport her to an animal rehabilitation center in Alekseevka village, located in the Primorsky region. There, they discovered that the tigress was about 10 years old and suffering from severe dental issues; she was missing her upper teeth, and her gums were infected.
In spite of her obvious dental problems, it was a relief for the care team when they found no signs of injury caused by firearms or humans in general. Keep scrolling to read more about this tigress’s story and see pictures and a video from her rescue.
A neighbor, Galina Tsimano (pictured), explained that her neighbor who lived on the outskirts of the village found the big cat on his porch in the early morning hours.
“Alexey Khaideyev came across a tiger on his porch,” she said. “He, his wife, and his grandmother live on the outskirts of the village, near the river and forest. He wanted to go out to the yard in the morning, but his door was pressed by 'someone' from outside.”
"The tiger spent the entire day on Alexey's porch until the emergency team arrived."
“He began to push the door and heard a tiger growling. He went back inside and started calling all the emergency services,” Tsimano continued. “The tiger spent the entire day on Alexey's porch until the emergency team arrived.”
The emergency team of Amur Tiger Centre
Sergey Aramilev, Director of the Amur Tiger Centre, shared: “The animal was extremely exhausted, but there were no visible injuries from firearms. However, there are problems with her oral cavity. The tigress behaved absolutely peacefully, as if she was waiting for human help. Nevertheless, the condition of this rare predator is severe, and it needs urgent action.”
The tigress was sedated in order to be safely transported
“We will not hide that the situation with the tigress is sad. Now everything depends on her. In her current physical condition, it is deadly to put her under anesthetic, yet without this, it is impossible to carry out 'active' treatment,” Aramilev continued.
“The animal, though she came for help, does not allow us to approach her. Now even injections are carried out remotely. We really hope that the tigress will recover and survive. For our part, we are doing everything possible.”
"She has serious gum problems and there are no upper teeth."
Yury Kolpak, head conservationist at the Ministry of Natural Resources, explained: “The tigress is thoroughly exhausted. She has serious gum problems and there are no upper teeth. It is likely her tiredness is due to being unable to eat properly. Now it is very important to provide the predator with qualified assistance.”
The rescue team put her on a diet of ground meat laced with antibiotics and were hopeful that this would help her regain her strength and aid in her recovery.
The elderly tigress was making some improvements under the care of those at the Amur Tiger Centre, eating mashed food and regaining her strength.
Siberian tiger pictured in Khabarovsk region
You can watch officials care for the tigress below
Sadly, there wasn't a happy ending to this story
Unfortunately, she eventually stopped eating and succumbed to her illnesses and old age, passing away. "Age and illnesses took over," said Viktor Kuzmenko of the Amur Tiger Centre.
"Vets did everything they could; sadly, the tigress couldn't fight her illness. She was in a hopeless state, extremely exhausted; there was even no fat on her heart," he continued. "Nothing could have saved her. The tigress didn't have injuries or wounds caused by people. Her illness had natural origins. Because of the illness, the tigress couldn't move normally, which caused her inability to hunt."
Despite the heartbreaking loss of this tigress, this species is starting to regain its numbers thanks to major efforts made to protect the animal. There is some comfort to be found in her story, knowing that there are more humans who care for the well-being of these endangered animals than those who wish to cause them harm.
Share this article:
