Alleviating Tiger-Human Conflicts

Wherever people and large carnivores coexist, conflicts between the two are usually inevitable. This lesson applies to Amur tigers in the Russian Far East.  Livestock depredations and attacks on people, although exceedingly rare, impede conservation efforts. Traditionally, such conflicts were usually resolved by simply killing the tiger. Cumulatively, such deaths represent a significant mortality factor for small populations of endangered species. We have been working closely with a special branch of the Russian government to address such situations and resolve them to protect both the tiger as well as human life and livelihood.

The Human Aspect
If Amur tigers are to survive in the wild, they must coexist with people on multiple-use forestlands. Human-tiger conflicts in the Russian Far East generally fall into two categories: attacks on people and predation on domestic animals.  Tigers that attack people are considered problem tigers unless they are defending cubs or themselves.  In most instances, tigers that attack people are wounded animals (often wounded by poacher bullets) that cannot effectively hunt wild prey.  Unfortunately, such animals remain a serious threat to unsuspecting and innocent people. The second scenario, in which tigers prey on domestic animals, is considered a problem if they do so very close to human habitation. That is, a tiger that kills a cow or a dog that wanders a kilometer into the woods unattended is not considered a problem, but one that kills cows in barnyards does require management.

Threats
Before the creation of the special Tiger Response Team, most conflict situations were either ignored or resolved with a bullet. This situation resulted in unnecessary tiger mortalities or in wounded cats that became even more dangerous. Such conflicts also fostered dangerously negative attitudes towards tigers and “retaliation killing” by local residents.

WCS Activities
In 2000, Inspection Tiger, a special tiger-protection unit of the Russian federal government, created a Tiger Response Team (TRT) to meet requests from WCS and other interested parties.  WCS has worked in tandem with the Tiger Response Team since its inception, lending our expertise and qualified personnel to resolve human-tiger conflicts in ways more favorable to both tigers and people. The host of resolution techniques we have developed include scare tactics, negative conditioning and capturing tigers to assess their condition.  Tigers in good condition that have not presented a threat to human life may be released in a new area further from human settlements, whereas others that would likely remain a danger to people if left in the wild may be put in zoos to add wild genes to the captive breeding program.  Our expertise in capturing and translocating tigers has provided a unique opportunity to assess the effectiveness of our interventions, because all problem tigers that are captured and subsequently released are equipped with radio collars and regularly monitored.  We are able to assist with these activities only because our Siberian Tiger Project has acted as a training ground to equip a team of experts with the necessary skills and materials to conduct captures, assessments, translocation, and subsequent monitoring.

Important Next Steps
Besides continuing the above activities, WCS plans to:
· Continue assisting the TRT with conflict situations as needed.
· Improve techniques for negative conditioning of problem tigers.
· Continue to provide Inspection Tiger personnel with training in capture, care, transportation, and subsequent monitoring of problem tigers.
· Assist TRT to further develop and experiment with scarce tactics and adverse conditioning that will train problem tigers not to prey on domestic animals.
· Continue training TRT personnel in capture and immobilization, to assess and, when appropriate, relocate tigers to remote areas or zoos.
· Monitor relocated or rehabilitated and released animals to determine the efficacy of such activities.
· Assist with obtaining equipment and expertise necessary to quickly transport animals to rehabilitation centers or zoos where they become part of captive breeding programs.
· Work with local media to provide accurate and positive information regarding specific conflict situations.