On July 31, a female Amur tiger named Umit was released into the wild at Kazakhstan's Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve. It was the first time a tiger had been released into Kazakhstan's natural habitat in more than 70 years.
Umit arrived from Russia in May with another adult tiger and two cubs. Before her release, specialists checked her health, behavior, hunting skills, and response to people, then decided she was ready to live independently.
A satellite GPS/GSM collar now helps specialists follow Umit around the clock, alongside camera traps and other monitoring tools. The team is watching how she moves through and adapts to her new territory.
The release is the first practical step in a program that has spent more than a decade restoring habitat and prey in the southern Balkhash region. Its long-term goal is a sustainable tiger population in the Ili River delta and the surrounding wetlands.
