China on the lookout for Putin's roaming tiger

9th October 2014

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is on the hunt for a Siberian tiger released into the wild by Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media said on Thursday, after the animal roamed across the border, likely in search of food.

The tiger, named Kuzia, was one of three of the rare wild cats that Putin helped release into Russia's remote Amur region in eastern Siberia in May.

Tagged with a tracking device, it has been spotted in China's Taipinggou nature reserve in northeastern Heilongjiang province, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing officials.

"A Russian expert called to tell us the location of the tiger and expressed the hope that we can protect it," nature reserve director Chen Zhigang told Xinhua.

Chen said forestry officers would set up dozens of cameras to capture images of the tiger and notify local farmers.

The tiger should find plenty of food among the reserve's wildlife, Chen said, though officials were prepared to "release cattle" into the area to feed it.

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Living legend Paul McCartney writes to Putin about Arctic 30

November 2013: Former Beatle Paul McCartney has written to President Vladimir Putin in a bid to try and help get the Greenpeace protesters, the Arctic 30, home with their families in time for Christmas.

The 30 (28 Greenpeace activists and two journalists) from 18 countries were arrested by Russia in September after taking part in a peaceful protest at Gazprom's oil rig to call attention to the threat of oil drilling and climate change, and have remained in jail in Russia ever since.

Paul says the president has not yet replied but the Russian Ambassador kindly responded saying that their situation ‘is not properly represented in the world media’. 

Dear Vladimir,

I hope this letter finds you well. It is now more than ten years since I played in Red Square, but I still often think about Russia and the Russian people.

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Rare Birds 'Died' In Russian Leader's Latest Wildlife Mishap

Vladimir Putin's stunt with Siberian cranes this week was intended to display both his tough-guy image and his commitment toward saving endangered species.

But what it perhaps best highlighted was his curious knack for causing harm to rare animals.

Russian television on September 6 aired footage of the animal-loving president leading orphaned chick cranes in flight aboard an ultralight aircraft.

The exercise was meant to teach the critically endangered birds, who were raised in captivity, to follow the aircraft on their winter migration to Central Asia.

Putin's encounter with the chicks, however, was overshadowed by reports that two of them had died during preparations for his arrival.

A biology student at the nature reserve where the birds are raised, some 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow, revealed that one of the chicks had died after getting caught in the plane's propeller during training.

Maria Goncharova wrote on the Russian social-networking website vKontakte that several other birds were badly injured while being transported to the flight venue, on the Yamal Peninsula in the Russian Arctic.

"One more broke a beak and tore off its claws on crooked netting. Another one died due to faulty transportation...many badly cut themselves," she wrote. "And all this to fly once with Pu."

Goncharova deleted the comment several hours after posting it.

Continued:  http://www.rferl.org/content/claims-rare-cranes-died-during-putin-stunt/24701513.html