Kazakhstan has released its first tiger into the wild more than seven decades since the last confirmed sighting of the big cat in the country.
On July 31, 2026, an adult female Amur tiger called Umit, which means “hope” in Kazakh, leapt from her cage on the back of a pickup truck, as she was released into the wilderness of the 1.1 million-acre Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve in southeastern Kazakhstan.
According to a statement issued by the Kazakhstan government on Aug. 3, Umit is fitted with a satellite tracking collar to monitor her movements and behavior in real time.
“Today we are truly witnessing a historic event,” said Kazakh Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Yerlan Nyssanbayev in the statement. “For the first time in over 70 years since tigers were wiped out in Kazakhstan, a tiger has been reintroduced to its historic range.”
Umit runs free in the nature reserve. Courtesy of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources
The area of the Ile-Balkhash Reserve where Umit was released was once inhabited by the extinct Caspian (Turian) tiger. Its last confirmed sighting in Kazakhstan was recorded in 1948.
Umit is an Amur tiger, a population of the mainland Asian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) native to the Russian Far East and northeastern China.
The Amur and Caspian tigers were once recognized as two distinct tiger subspecies, but the IUCN recognized both as Panthera tigris tigris in 2017.
Preparations for returning tigers to Kazakhstan have taken more than a decade, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said.
The reserve was established in 2018 to create the necessary conditions for the tigers’ return to the wild, including efforts to increase the population of their natural prey, such as Bukhara deer (Cervus hanglu bactrianus) and kulan (Equus hemionus kulan).
Umit walks through tall grass in the nature reserve. Courtesy of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources
The Kazakh government chose Amur tigers after research showed their genetic makeup was almost identical to that of Caspian tigers, which went extinct owing to habitat loss and hunting by humans.
Umit is one of four Amur tigers gifted to Kazakhstan by Moscow. Captured from the far-eastern Russian region of Khabarovsk Krai, the animals — two adult tigers and two cubs aged around six to seven months — were flown to Kazakhstan in May 2026, ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit.
Amur, the adult male tiger, and Turan and Ussuri, the two cubs, are currently living in adaptation enclosures in the Ile-Balkhash reserve, local Kazakh media has reported.
Umit jumps off the truck. Courtesy of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources
According to the Kazakh government’s statement, Amur is undergoing behavioral tests and will be released into the wild after they’re completed and experts confirm he’s fully prepared to survive on his own.
Meanwhile, the two cubs are expected to stay in the special enclosures until they are at least 18 months old. “After veterinary examinations and behavioral tests for each tiger are completed, an individual decision will be made on the possibility of releasing them into the wild,” the statement said.
This article was originally published on Mongabay.
Featured Image: Courtesy of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources
