Russia reported that its number of Amur, or Siberian, tigers has nearly doubled to 750 in the last 12 years, as it began hosting the second international forum for the protection of tiger on Monday.
While the Amur tiger, the largest big cat in the world, is still endangered in many countries, its population has increased by 40% in recent years.
Poaching is still regarded as the biggest threat to the tiger, experts said at the forum in Vladivostok. However, the number of big cats killed in Russia by poachers has seen a massive decline in the last 10 years, from around 50 to 70 each year 10 years ago to about 15 to 20 in the present, the Amur Tiger Centre said.
Furthermore, the habitats of the tiger have been expanded.
Other countries are learning from Russia's success; Kazakhstan is planning to restore Amur tigers to the wild from 2025.
The forum opened with a video message by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who professed his pride in the rising number of tigers.
"I am pleased to see the success of our colleagues in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China, where the populations of large cats are clearly growing," Putin said.
