An Amur tiger has been released into the wild in Kazakhstan's Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
The female tiger, named Umit, was released into the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve as part of a program to restore the population of the species, which was wiped out in Central Asia a century ago. This is the first tiger in Kazakhstan in 70 years.
Umit is one of four Amur tigers transferred from Russia. She will be monitored to see how she adapts to the new habitat before a decision is made on when to release the other three.
The program aims to restore the historical range of tigers in Central Asia. Tiger conservation and population increase are among the global environmental priorities.