Russia: Amur tiger cub adopted by Moscow police

Police in Moscow, Tuesday, are finding themselves in care of an Amur Tiger cub after it was saved from poachers in the Russian city of Nizhnevartovsk. Officers adopted the little cub in honour of Police Day and will look after him on a semi-permanent basis until the cub will eventually be sent to a reserve. The four-month-old cub was named Styopa after the main character of a popular Russian children's book by Samuil Marshak titled 'Uncle Styopa, the Militia Man.’ The little Amur tiger cub was taken to the Russian capital by plane before being handed over to the staff from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. Styopa will not be returned to the wild due to fears that he would not survive after being captured. Very few Amur tigers remain in the wild with an estimated 400 to 500 left in the wild. The latest studies however, suggest that their numbers are stable and growing.