A single tiger requires a large territory of at least 100 square kilometers. They are solitary creatures, each maintaining its own range and fiercely defending it. Cubs stay with their mothers for about two years, during which the mother avoids males. Male tigers often kill rival offspring, even their own. This territorial behavior and limited population density mean that tigers cannot thrive in fragmented forests. When roads, settlements, or logging divide the landscape, tigers leave, and the food pyramid collapses, disrupting the entire ecosystem.
In the Lazovsky Nature Reserve, for example, we observe an interesting effect. The reserve is small, home to only one or two tigers, which cannot control the population of spotted deer. Outside the reserve, hunters shoot deer, prompting the animals to use the reserve as a safe haven, increasing their numbers. Like goats, the deer overgraze the forest floor, destroying grasses, shrubs, and undergrowth. The forest is vanishing.
Besides the Amur tiger, the symbol of Primorsky Krai—depicted everywhere in Vladivostok, from building murals to souvenir stalls—the region is also home to the Amur leopard. However, they live in the shadow of the tigers' glory. These elusive creatures live in the tiger’s shadow, both literally and figuratively. Locals have historically disliked leopards, and with good reason.