Was Kazakhstan’s First Wild Tiger in 70 Years Spotted Near Homes?

A photo appearing to show a tiger in the grass between residential buildings and a railway embankment has circulated on social media. An accompanying audio recording claims that the scene is near Balkhash. Users speculated that the animal might be Umit, the tigress recently released into the wild at the Ile-Balkhash reserve, and questioned how she could have come so close to a populated area. Kazakhstan’s Ecology Ministry has responded, Orda.kz reports.

As a reminder, the Amur tigress Umit was recently released into the wild in the southern Balkhash region. This was the first practical stage of Kazakhstan’s program to return tigers to their historical habitat.

After the photo appeared online, the Ecology Ministry said the information accompanying it was false.

The information is not true. The published image shows signs that it may have been generated using artificial intelligence,the ministry said.

Officials also noted that Umit is wearing a satellite GPS collar. Specialists at the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve use it to monitor her location and condition around the clock.

Four Amur tigers from Russia were previously  brought to the Ile-Balkhash reserve — two adults and two cubs. The adult male remains under observation. A decision on whether to release him will be made after all tests are complete. The two cubs will remain in enclosures for at least a year and a half.

Original author: Oksana Matviyenko

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