Two Amur tigresses were brought from the Netherlands to restore wild tiger populations in Kazakhstan. The animals were transferred to the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve, the press office of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan reported.
Cooperation of Kazakhstan with the World Wide Fund for Nature and the UN Development Programme made it possible to bring the tigresses Bogdana and Kuma. The translocation was launched after signing a memorandum between the Forestry and Wildlife Committee and the centre in the Netherlands on the free transfer of tigers so that that they could produce offspring that would be released into the wild.
«The progressive development of the Ile-Balkhash Reserve provides the reliable groundwork for future environmental initiatives and the country’s progress on nature conservation,» Chairman of the Committee Daniyar Turgambayev said.
The plans for the coming years envisage releasing the tigers’ offspring into the wild to restore their wild population that disappeared in Central Asia over 70 years ago. In 2025, more tigers are expected to be brought in Kazakhstan from Russia.
