Together Again

In 2012, an orphaned tiger cub was found wandering in the snowy mountains near the border of Russia and China. Villagers notified local wildlife authorities. Scientists quickly arrived on the scene. They transported the cub to a rehabilitation center in Vladivostok, a town in eastern Russia. The center was home to an ambitious conservation program. Its mission? To save some of the world’s last Amur tigers.

The cub, named Boris, stayed at the rehabilitation center for the next year. He grew up alongside Svetlaya, another rescued cub who lived in a neighboring enclosure. The pair couldn’t see each other, but they each could smell and hear the other. When the two tigers reached 18 months old, they were released into the wild: Boris first, then Svetlaya a week later. They were separated by more than 161 kilometers (100 miles). But their story doesn’t end there. More than a year after their release, Boris trekked nearly 193 km (120 mi)—until he finally found Svetlaya.

The pair became mates and welcomed a litter of cubs six months later. Boris and Svetlaya’s unlikely reunion is not just a touching love story—it also marks a series of rare conservation successes for a population on the brink of extinction.

In 2012, an orphaned tiger cub was found near the border of Russia and China. The cub was wandering in the snowy mountains. Villagers told local wildlife authorities. Scientists quickly arrived on the scene. They moved the cub to a rehabilitation center in Vladivostok, a town in eastern Russia. The center had an ambitious conservation program. Its mission? To save some of the world’s last Amur tigers.

The cub was named Boris. For the next year, he stayed at the rehabilitation center. He grew up beside Svetlaya, another rescued cub. She lived in the next enclosure. The pair couldn’t see each other, but they could smell and hear each other. When the two tigers reached 18 months old, they were released into the wild. Boris was released first. Svetlaya’s turn was a week later. They were released more than 161 kilometers (100 miles) apart. But their story doesn’t end there. More than a year after their release, Boris walked nearly 193 km (120 mi). He finally found Svetlaya.

The pair became mates. Six months later, they had a litter of cubs. Boris and Svetlaya’s unlikely reunion is more than a touching love story. It also marks a series of rare conservation successes for a nearly extinct population.

Amur tigers, sometimes known as Siberian tigers, are a distinct tiger population found in remote parts of eastern Russia and northeastern China (see “Where Tigers Roam”). Even though much of their cold, mountainous forest habitat—or natural home—is still intact, Amur tigers have virtually disappeared from the region. These big cats were often hunted for sport or killed during armed conflicts in the region. Orphaned cubs were then sold to zoos. By the 1920s, it was estimated that only 20 Amur tigers remained in Russia. “That eventually became a call to arms,” says Dale Miquelle, a tiger biologist who worked on the conservation project. To save the tigers, scientists needed to take action.

In the 1940s, Russia outlawed tiger hunting. By the 1990s, the Amur tiger population had climbed to about 475, says Miquelle. But the tigers were still threatened by illegal deforestation—the clear-cutting of trees for human development. There was also the problem of poaching, or the unlawful hunting, of tigers.

Toward the end of the 1990s, a group of Russian and American scientists came up with an idea: What if they were to rescue orphaned tiger cubs, raise them, and release them back into the wild? Rearing young animals in captivity has been used to boost the numbers of other endangered species (see “Baby Bird Rescue,” Science World, September 22, 2025). But it had rarely been attempted with big cats. That’s because conservationists thought orphaned tigers raised in captivity might not know how to hunt for wild prey on their own. Young cats raised by humans might also become too comfortable around people, which could lead to dangerous interactions once they were released. But with the tigers’ fate hanging in the balance, it was an idea worth trying.

Amur tigers are sometimes called Siberian tigers. They are a distinct tiger population in remote parts of eastern Russia and northeastern China (see “Where Tigers Roam”). Their natural home is a cold, mountainous forest region. Much of their habitat is still there. But Amur tigers have nearly disappeared from it. These big cats were often hunted for sport. They were also killed during armed conflicts in the region. Then orphaned cubs were sold to zoos. By the 1920s, only about 20 Amur tigers remained in Russia. “That eventually became a call to arms,” says Dale Miquelle. He’s a tiger biologist who worked on the conservation project. To save the tigers, scientists needed to act.

Russia outlawed tiger hunting in the 1940s. By the 1990s, the Amur tiger population had climbed to about 475, says Miquelle. But illegal deforestation still threatened the tigers. People were clear-cutting trees for development. Unlawful hunting, or poaching of tigers, was also a problem.

Near the end of the 1990s, a group of Russian and American scientists had an idea. They could rescue and raise orphaned tiger cubs. Then they could release them back into the wild. People have raised young animals of other endangered species in captivity. This has boosted numbers of the animals (see “Baby Bird Rescue,” Science World, September 22, 2025). But conservationists had rarely tried this with big cats because they worried about possible problems. If orphaned tigers were raised in captivity, they might not know how to hunt for wild prey on their own. And if young cats were raised by humans, they might become too comfortable around people. That could lead to dangerous interactions after their release. But the tigers’ fate hung in the balance, so the idea was worth trying.

Construction of a rehabilitation center began in the early 2010s. By 2012, the facility was up and running—just in time for the program to receive its first cub, a 4-month-old named Zolushka (Russian for “Cinderella”). Over the next nine years, a total of 13 cubs, including Boris and Svetlaya, were brought to the Center for the Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals.

When each cub arrived at the center, they first underwent a monthlong quarantine. This period of isolation ensured that any cats carrying a disease couldn’t spread it to the other tigers, explains Miquelle. After that, the cubs were released into an enclosure. There they had minimal contact with humans. At first, the cubs were given small prey like rabbits to “pique their interest in hunting,” says Miquelle. By about 13 to 14 months old, their caretakers started releasing larger animals like deer and wild boar, similar to what the big cats would catch and eat in the wild.

When the tigers reached 18 months old, they were released. The scientists decided to let them go in a part of Russia that once had tigers but did not anymore. This gave the cubs a second chance at life in the wild while also restoring the tiger population in a place from which they had disappeared.

Construction of a rehabilitation center began in the early 2010s. By 2012, the facility was up and running. This was just in time for the program to receive its first cub. She was a 4-month-old named Zolushka (Russian for “Cinderella”). Over the next nine years, a total of 13 cubs were brought to the Center for the Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals. Boris and Svetlaya were among them.

When each cub arrived at the center, it spent a month in quarantine. This was a period of isolation. If any cats carried a disease, they couldn’t spread it to the other tigers, explains Miquelle. After that, the cubs were released into an enclosure. They had very little contact with humans. At first, the cubs were given small prey like rabbits. That was to “pique their interest in hunting,” says Miquelle. The cats reached about 13 to 14 months of age. Then their caretakers started releasing larger animals like deer and wild boar. Those are the kinds of animals the big cats catch and eat in the wild.

When the tigers were 18 months old, they were released. The scientists let them go in an area of Russia. Tigers used to live there but didn’t anymore. This gave the cubs a second chance at life in the wild. It also restored the tiger population in a place that had lost them.

After release, scientists closely monitored the tigers. They fitted the animals with GPS collars, which sent out signals allowing researchers to track the cats. When a tiger began to establish its territory, Miquelle and his colleagues would drive to the remote area the animal had claimed as its own. They’d search for carcasses to find out what the tiger was eating. They’d also set up camera traps equipped with motion sensors. When an animal walked by, it triggered the cameras to take photos or record video. This enabled the scientists to keep a closer eye on the cats.

These methods allowed researchers to watch Boris and Svetlaya’s reunion unfold between 2014 and 2016. After using GPS to track Boris’s determined journey to find Svetlaya, a camera trap photographed the pair cuddling together. News that the couple had cubs soon followed.

Scientists closely watched the tigers after their release. They fitted the animals with GPS collars that sent out signals. This allowed researchers to track the cats. A tiger would start to establish its territory and claim the area as its own. When that happened, Miquelle and his colleagues drove to the remote area. They searched for carcasses. That told them what the tiger was eating. They also set up camera traps with motion sensors. When an animal walked by, it triggered the cameras to take photos or record video. Then the scientists could watch the cats more closely.

Researchers used these methods with Boris and Svetlaya. They watched the tigers’ reunion unfold between 2014 and 2016. GPS tracked Boris’s determined journey to find Svetlaya. Then a camera trap photographed them cuddling together. Soon, news came that the couple had cubs.

Boris and Svetlaya were just 2 of 13 tigers raised and released by the program. All but one went on to thrive in the wild. In 2015, two years after her release, Zolushka—the center’s first tiger—had cubs of her own.

The program showed that orphaned tiger cubs can hunt and successfully reproduce in the wild—even after being raised in captivity. This strategy could be used to help restore tiger populations in other parts of Asia (see “Tiger Facts”). “For the first time ever, there was a successful reintroduction of tigers into a region that they had originally inhabited,” says Miquelle. “This means we now have a tool we can use to recover tiger populations across Asia.”

Boris and Svetlaya were just two of the tigers in the program. In all, 13 tigers were raised and released. All but one thrived in the wild. Zolushka was the center’s first tiger. In 2015, she had her own cubs. That was two years after her release.

The program showed that orphaned tiger cubs can hunt and reproduce in the wild. They can succeed even after being raised in captivity. This method could help restore tiger populations in other parts of Asia (see “Tiger Facts”). “For the first time ever, there was a successful reintroduction of tigers into a region that they had originally inhabited,” says Miquelle. “This means we now have a tool we can use to recover tiger populations across Asia.”