2010
Man vs. Tiger
Tom Armbruster, U.S. Consul General, visited the Agricultural Academy in the city of Ussuriisk on January 25 to attend the autopsy of a man-eating Amur tiger, that was shot after the tiger killed a man fishing. The attack took place in mid-January in the Terney Rayon, 435 miles north of Vladivostok. Armbruster met with professors from the International Relations and Biology Departments of the Academy. Specialists from the academy, Primorye Hunting Department, and the regional Veterinary Inspection got together to perform the autopsy and to determine the cause of the tiger’s aggression. Fortunately, the concern that the tiger was rabid was not confirmed. Specialists suspect another infection, disease or even hunger could have provoked the tiger’s unusual behavior. Environmentalists are much concerned about a 40 percent decrease of the tiger population since the last census. They are working hard to bring the Amur Tiger’s numbers back up and there will be a Tiger Summit in September designed to promote awareness and sustainability.