MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. The Amur (Siberian) tiger population in Russia’s Far East has grown by 15% in the past ten years, with a consistently upwards trend. Also the predators’ habitat has expanded, the director of the department for state policy and control over natural conservation areas at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Irina Makanova, said on Tuesday.

"The population of the Amur tiger has grown by 15% in the past ten years, and it has a tendency towards further growth," the expert said. "According to monitoring data for 2019, the tiger population is estimated at 580 specimens. It is expected that by 2022 (by the end of the year - TASS) the designated tasks will be achieved to increase the number of adult species of the predator to 500 specimens," she told a news conference at TASS.

According to Makanova, the habitat of the Amur tiger in the Far East has grown in the recent years. "In 2010, the Amur tiger lived on the territory of two regions of the Russian Federation, the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions, while now Amur tigers also live in the Amur Region and in the Jewish Autonomous Region," she said.