Endangered Siberian tiger swims over to China

It almost sounds like the beginning of a joke: why did the Russian tiger cross the river into China? But because Siberian tigers are an endangered species, it’s a bit more serious.

Kuzya, a tiger who was fitted with a satellite-tracking collar by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May, has apparently defected to China, and Heilongjiang officials are doing their best to make sure he’s protected, mainland state media reports.

Kuzya apparently swam across the Heilong River, which serves as part of the border between the countries and is called the Amur in Russia, on Sunday, according to tracking signals, the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported.

Russian ecologists said the tiger was probably looking for better nutrition, and they say they fear for his safety because China is more populated and he could be shot if he threatens tasty farm animals.

“A Russian expert called us and told us the location [of the tiger] they have monitored. They asked us to protect it,” Chen Zhigang, director of Taipinggou Natural Protection Zone in Heilongjiang’s Luobei county, told Xinhua. Kuzya, who has the collar because tigers are one of top 10 wild animals in the world that are on the brink of extinction, is currently in a 20,000-hectare zone on the bank of the Heilong.

Local forest rangers have advised farmers to take safety measures, and more than 60 far ultra-infrared cameras were installed in the region to help trace the beast. The authorities had also sent staff to eradicate possible dangers to the tiger, including capturing nets, Chen said.