The feline, who seemed unusually indifferent to passing vehicles, turned out to have been hit by one, and had sustained serious injuries
A video clip showing a rare Amur tiger lying in the middle of a road in Khabarovsk Region in Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District has been making the rounds on Russian Telegram channels and media outlets. It later turned out that the big cat had likely been hit by a car, hence its unusual behavior.
The Amur tiger, which is native to the Asian part of Russia and also known as the Siberian tiger, is an endangered species. In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of such sightings in Khabarovsk Region and in neighboring Primorsky Region.
The Amur Tiger Center is a charity organization which studies and preserves the big cats in Russia. It reported on its Telegram channel on Tuesday that an “automobile supposedly hit an Amur tiger,” and that the driver had fled the scene.
“The animal is in serious condition,” the group added, saying that veterinarians were attending to the wounded feline.
In early December, an Amur tiger mauled an elderly man to death in Khabarovsk Region. The big cat had reportedly first attacked a dog and dragged it away to a nearby forest. Its owner apparently followed the predator, only to find his pet’s remains and fall prey to the tiger himself, Mash media outlet reported at the time.
The man’s body was found later in the day, the local Investigative Committee Department confirmed, adding that an investigation was launched into the incident.
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