Extremely rare portrait captured of Amur tiger family in the wild
A portrait of a rare Amur tiger family captured on film in the wild has provided clues that the extremely solitary male big cats may play a role in rearing cubs.
Scientists have long believed that the large adult males tend to leave females to raise their young and they are known to even attack and kill cubs when they come across them.
However, this new set of images captured by a camera trap in the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve in eastern Russia, a large male Amur tiger is seen leading a family of three cubs and their mother through the snowy forest.
Dr Svetlana Soutyrina, deputy director for scientific programs at the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve who set the camera traps, said: “We have collected hundreds of photos of tigers over the years, but this is the first time we have recorded a family together.
“These images confirm that male Amur tigers do participate in family life, at least occasionally, and we were lucky enough to capture one such moment.”