In eastern Russia, a man traced the tracks of a Siberian tiger that “attacked and dragged away” his dog, CBS News reports. Tragically, the dog owner was fatally mauled upon encountering the tiger, as confirmed by regional police in the remote Khabarovsk territory. The victim’s identity remains undisclosed, and signs of an animal attack were discovered on his body.
As per Amur Tiger Center, the tiger had assaulted a dog belonging to a villager in Obor. In response, the owner pursued the large feline for a significant distance. Eventually, he found the animal near its recent prey.
The center says, “Presumably, the animal regarded this as a threat,” resulting in a fatal attack on the dog owner. Authorities found the villager’s body near his dog’s remains. In view of this, the center released a statement saying, “We express our sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased.”
Siberian tigers sport massive size, use it to terrorize locals in Russia
The Amur Tiger Center notes that Amur tigers, also called Siberian tigers, rank as the largest and also one of the rarest tiger subspecies, People reports. In fact, they are the only subspecies capable of surviving in snow at extremely low temperatures.
The Denver Zoo states that the retractable claws of Siberian tigers can extend to “up to 4 inches in length.” Their canine teeth measure “2.5-3 inches long — longer than any other predator,” and the growth of these tigers can be massive.
Male Siberian tigers can stretch up to 12 feet in length, even donning a two to three-foot tail. At the same time, females may reach up to nine feet long. Additionally, males typically reach weights of between 400 and 700 pounds. However, females tend to weigh no more than 370 pounds.
These giant cats are categorized as endangered. At this time, less than 500 Siberian tigers are surviving in the wild. Despite this, hundreds remain in captivity.
Local sources have recorded around 300 incidents this year alone where tigers have encroached into inhabited areas. Moreover, there have been numerous reports of Siberian tigers killing dogs or mauling area residents.
