Lords of Taiga Exhibit Opens in Vladivostok

VLADIVOSTOK. February 10. VOSTOK-MEDIA - The Arsenyev Primorsky Joint State Museum (20 Svetlanskaya Street) is inviting the public to visit the Lords of Taiga exhibit dedicated to the rarest dwellers of the Primorsky Krai taiga – Siberian tiger and Amur Leopard.

A spokesman for the museum said the Lords of Taiga provides an opportunity for the public to see rare commemorative coins, postage stamps, scientific publications and art works, and photographs of the first half of the 20th century. The event is being held in co-operation with WWF Russia, Amur branch.

Resident of and visitors to Vladivostok and Primorsky Krai will have a chance to see obscure periods in the history of the relations between humans and animals.

The situation regarding tiger conservation throughout the world can be described as catastrophic. The tiger population has dwindled from 100,000 to an estimated 4,000 over the past century and is continuing to decrease. India, the country with the largest population of wild tigers, has seen a dramatic tiger population decline from 3,500 to 1,300 in the period of 1996-2005.

Today, Primorsky Krai has the biggest population of tiger in one single habitat: more than 450 tigers, which makes 11% of the world population. This is mainly due to conservation measures taken in 1950-1980, such as the outright ban on tiger hunting, establishment of specially protected natural areas and scientific research.

The exhibit opens at 4 p.m. today and runs through March 31.