Over the past century, wild tiger populations have declined by more than 95%. Poaching for tiger fur and body parts, human population growth, and sea level rise has decimated tiger populations across Asia, reducing their numbers from approximately 100,000 at the turn of the 20th century to under 4,000 today. Isolated and alone, the largest cat in the world scattered across just 7% of their former range (WWF).
But amid these challenges, stories like that of Svetlaya and Borya remind us what’s possible when conservation, community, and resilience come together.
Over four years ago, after being orphaned as infants, a rescue of two rare Amur tigers from the wild took place. These tigers, Svetlaya and Borya, became close friends at the rehabilitation center, growing up side by side. In 2014, these childhood friends re-entered the wild – but into two separate provinces.
Heartbroken, Borya set out to find his Svetlaya. After searching far and wide, he finally found her in December 2015. From that point on, the two tigers remained close—hunting, traveling, and living together in the remote wilderness.
In 2017, trail cameras confirmed what conservationists had hoped for: Svetlaya had cubs. While the young cubs remained mostly hidden behind their mother, glimpses of small paws and playful movement offered clear signs that a new generation had begun.
Photo by PROO Tiger Center. Note the paws behind Svetlaya.
Your support makes stories like Svetlaya and Borya’s possible.
With your help, we can continue funding conservation projects that give tigers—and their cubs—a fighting chance.