Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan's Ile-Balkhash reserve…
Moment first rare tiger in 70 years released in Kazakhstan
A female Amur tiger named Umit walked out of a crate into Kazakh reedbeds where no wild tiger has stood since the 1950s. Central Asia's tigers were shot and drained out of existence a century ago; this release is the first move in rebuilding a population from imported Amur stock. The habitat had to be restored first — deer, boar and river water before predator.
Why this made the cut
- an apex predator returned after 70 years absent
- rare case of extinction being run backwards