How many Siberian tigers roam the wild? The tigers, which are also known as Amur tigers, live mainly in eastern Russia. Several conservation agencies are working to count the num-ber of these rare cats.
Ten years ago--the last time a census was taken--the total population was estimated at between 415 and 476. But Sibe-rian tigers face threats from poachers, or illegal hunters, and loss of habitat and food. "We're concerned that the tiger population may be decreasing," says the World Wildlife Fund's Sybille Klenzendorf.
This winter, 1,000 scientists and volunteers spread out across Russia for the survey. Snow helped the researchers find and follow tiger tracks. Conducting the census was expensive and sometimes dangerous. Klenzendorf expects to have the new figures by June.