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A special day in celebration of Russia's Amur tigers and leopards is to be held across Europe and Russia from Edinburgh to Vladivostok on September 27th 2003
Amur (Siberian) tigers and leopards are only to be found living wild in the snow bound states of Primorski and Khaborovski in the Russian Far East. These magnificent cats are highly endangered and sadly bordering on extinction. There are close to 350 adult Amur tigers living in the wild today, unfortunately the threat against the leopards is even more daunting, there are but 33 Amur leopards remaining in the wild. The 27th of September 2003 has been designated as 'Russian (Amur) Tiger and Leopard Day'. There will be events held in the Russian Far East cities such as Vladivostock, Novopokrovka, Luchegorsk and Khabarovsk, and in 30 zoos all over Russia, CIS and Europe - from Edinburgh, Barcelona, Antwerp, Rome to Minsk, Moscow, Perm and Novosibirsk! The aim is to create awareness of the desperate situation facing the Russian wild big cats and to recognise how zoos in Europe are now contributing to conservation programmes. At Moscow Zoo's event it will be announced that famous Russian pop star Ilya Lagutenko of 'Momiye Troll' will become a Patron of AMUR to give his support to Russian tiger and leopard conservation. DETAILS For the past few years annual Tiger and Leopard festivals have been held in the Russian Far East in Vladivostok. Last year 2002 a Russian Tiger and Leopard Day was held at Moscow Zoo attended by HRH Prince Michael of Kent KCVO. This year the events are expanding right across Russia and Europe, making Russian Tiger and Leopard Day one of the world's largest special conservation events. From 2002 to 2004 there is a campaign running in over 200 zoos in Europe, all of which are members of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA), to increase awareness of all the world's tigers. This special 'Russian Tiger and Leopard Day' is part of this 2 year long campaign. 'Russian Tiger and Leopard Day' is being coordinated by the Anglo-Russian conservation charity AMUR, Moscow Zoo and Phoenix (a Russian NGO dedicated to Amur tiger and leopard conservation endeavours) and supported in the Russian Far East by many NGOs such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Save the Tiger Fund (see editors notes for details). AMUR, whose patron is Sir Roderic Lyne, the British Ambassador to the Russian Federation, has been created to raise money to help fund urgent conservation work in the Russian Far East. AMUR is sponsored by four major international companies; KPMG, LandRover, BP and Castrol. AMUR works together with a number of partners including Moscow Zoo, the Zoological Society of London and Phoenix. It is no coincidence that Land Rover is one of the four sponsors of AMUR and main sponsor for Russian Tiger and Leopard Day. An integral part of Land Rover's philosophy is caring about the wild environment as embodied by the 'Fragile Earth' policy adopted by the company. As part of their commitment to the Fragile Earth policy Land Rover requests its clients to drive responsibly off-road whilst at the same time the company itself supports conservation work around the globe. In Russia, Land Rover has donated a specially adapted 4x4 Defender used by the scientists in the Russian Far East in their ongoing conservation work to save the Amur tiger and leopard from extinction. AMUR is pleased that Ilya Lagutenko, lead singer of Momiye Troll has kindly agreed to become a Patron of AMUR. It is especially appropriate that this famous Russian pop star will become involved in Russian tiger and leopard conservation because Ilya was born in the Russian Far East - home to the Amur big cats! At the various zoos on "Russian Tiger and Leopard Day" there will be a variety of fun events including dancers, musicians, costumed performers and special events for children including theatre, competitions, face painting, dancing and lectures about conservation. The most crucial aspect of the day is to convey the message to the people of Russia and Europe that the precious wildlife of Russia, particularly the famous tigers and leopards of the Russian Far East, is in grave danger. "There are now so few of these unique Amur tigers and Amur leopards alive in the wild that we all need to work together to save them from extinction" comments Sharon Miller founder of AMUR "and the aim of this special Russian Tiger and Leopard Day is to educate young people about the extreme problems facing these big cats and encourage everyone to lend their support to help save them" Zoos taking part in Russian Tiger and Leopard Day
Towns taking part in Russian Tiger and Leopard Day
• Vladivostok (Russian Far East)
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