[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A man was caught attempting to sell a poached Amur tiger (also known as Baekdusan tiger), an endangered species in Russia. It is reported that the bodies of tigers and bears are traded as very rare medicinal ingredients in China.
According to foreign media on the 11th, the Border Guard of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia announced that they arrested a resident of the Terneysky region in northern Primorsky Krai on charges of storing the carcass of an Amur tiger.
The Border Guard stated that the 64-year-old man was keeping the carcass of an approximately 3-year-old Amur tiger in a refrigerated truck, along with a severed bear head and seven bear paws. The tiger carcass was frozen solid and tied with a rope.
The bodies of tigers and bears are considered very rare medicinal ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine.
Therefore, in regions bordering China, transactions involving the buying and selling of bears and tigers often occur. Local media reported that the Border Guard intercepts and cracks down on such cases several times a year.
The arrested man was also caught while trying to find a buyer.
The Border Guard sent the Amur tiger carcass to the research organization 'Amur Tiger Center' for accurate investigation.
Meanwhile, Russia strictly prohibits the illegal possession of skins and other items to protect endangered species, but poaching for medicinal ingredients and skins continues unabated.
Last month, an Amur tiger was killed by two poachers in the Svobodnensky region northeast of Blagoveshchensk, the capital of Amur Oblast.
The deceased tiger, named 'Pavlik,' was especially mourned as it was revealed to be an individual rescued in May last year and released back into the wild.
Additionally, in July, a man was caught by local police for possessing the skin of a 3 to 5-year-old female tiger that had been shot.
The Amur tiger, endangered due to indiscriminate poaching, is currently listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and receives international protection. This species is famous as the largest tiger on Earth, with an estimated population of only 560 to 600 individuals. It is known that the majority, about 90%, inhabit Russia’s Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai.
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