Kazakhstan's Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve has welcomed its first wild animals in more than 70 years after undergoing a remarkable transformation.
According to CNN, Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve, which occupies 4,151 square kilometres (1,603 square miles) across the country’s Almaty and Balkhash region a decade ago, was once an empty and damaged area but now has transformed into an ecosystem.
The region that has not seen a wild animal for over 70 years welcomed two captive tigers in September 2024.
The two Amur tigers from Stichting Leeuw, a big cat sanctuary in the Netherlands, have been released into a semi-natural three-hectare enclosure within the reserve with the ambition that their cubs will become the first wild tigers in Kazakhstan in decades.
The lead of the Tigers Alive Initiative, Stuart Chapman, said, “These tigers were selected because they’re very similar to what would have been found in the Caspian region (before their extinction).”
He further added, “Tigers have been translocated within country boundaries, and zoo tigers cross international borders all the time, but that’s for them to remain in captivity. This is the first time that tigers have crossed international borders to reintroduce them into the wild.”
Furthermore, Amur tigers are mostly found in Russia’s Far East and are adaptive to extreme weather. They can survive scorching summers as well as freezing cold, suitable for the Balkhash region climate.
