Tengrinews.kz - During a government meeting, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Erlan Nysanbayev announced that Kazakhstan plans to bring Amur tigers from Russia in 2025 as part of a project to restore the Turanian tiger population.
The minister highlighted the creation of the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve, spanning 415,000 hectares, as a key initiative under the tiger restoration program. To rebuild the tiger's natural prey base, the reserve has introduced 205 Bukhara deer, relocated over 100 kulan (wild asses), and increased populations of roe deer and wild boar between 2018 and 2024.
"This autumn, two tigers were brought from the Netherlands to the Ile-Balkhash Reserve for captive breeding as part of the Turanian tiger restoration effort. Additionally, in 2025, we expect to receive three to four Amur tigers from the wild in Russia. We hope these tigers and their offspring will become the first wild tigers to reappear in Kazakhstan after an absence of more than 70 years," Nysanbayev stated.
As part of the kulan restoration program, 42 kulans were relocated to the Ile-Balkhash Reserve and 24 to the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative in 2024.
Nysanbayev also provided updates on the reintroduction of Przewalski’s horse, which historically inhabited nine regions of Kazakhstan, including Aktobe, Kostanay, Karaganda, Akmola, East Kazakhstan, and parts of Almaty, Kyzylorda, Zhambyl, and Turkestan regions.
"Przewalski's horse disappeared from the wild by the late 1960s. Through cooperation with international organizations, the Ministry introduced the first seven horses (six mares and one stallion) from Prague Zoo to the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative in the Kostanay region this June. Overall, we plan to bring 40 horses by 2029," the minister added.
Earlier, Erlan Nysanbayev shared information about the well-being of the tigers brought to Kazakhstan from the Netherlands.
