A video clip showing a rare Amur tiger lying in the middle of a road in Khabarovsk Region in Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District has been making the rounds on Russian Telegram channels and media outlets. The big cat, it later turned out, had likely been hit by a car, hence its unusual behavior.
The Amur or Siberian tiger, which is native to the Asian part of Russia, is an endangered species and the subject of an extensive and successful conservation campaign. In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of Amur tiger sightings in Khabarovsk Region and in neighboring Primorsky Region.
The Amur Tiger Center, a charity that studies and preserves the big cats in Russia, reported on its Telegram channel on Tuesday that an “automobile supposedly hit an Amur tiger,” and that the driver had fled the scene.
“The animal is in serious condition,” the group added, saying that veterinarians were attending to the wounded feline.
In early December, an Amur tiger mauled an elderly man to death in Khabarovsk Region. It had reportedly first attacked a dog and dragged it away to a nearby forest. Its owner apparently followed the predator, only to find his pet’s remains and fall prey to the tiger himself, Mash media outlet reported at the time.
The man’s body was found later in the day, the local Investigative Committee Department confirmed.