Ashley McDermott
Central Asian Tigers are again roaming Kazakhstan, 70 years after their extinction. Their return is celebrated as an ecological triumph, but it also brings apprehension and uncertainty as locals express concerns for the safety of humans and livestock.
Two tigers. Steffan Fredrik Kylland. CC BY 2.0.
In September 2024, two captive Amur tigers were translocated from Anna Paulowna Sanctuary, Netherlands, to the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan in an effort to revitalize the extinct Caspian, or Turan, tiger population. In preparation for their arrival, a new preserve was created, critical prey species were reintroduced and 50 hectares were reforested with native trees. While press coverage is largely positive, many Kazakh people have a less favorable opinion on the reintroduction and are concerned about livestock and human safety, despite government plans to mitigate the risks with collars and early warning systems.
The two tigers, named Bogdana and Kuma, are housed in a 3-hectare, purpose-built enclosure. The pair thrived despite the cold winter, and the nation’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Erlan Nysanbayev, expects them to have cubs in 18 to 24 months. While Bogdana and Kuma themselves will always reside within their enclosure, their offspring will be released into the wild after a one to two-year period of training and acclimatization. In the next phase of the program, four more Amur tigers, this time from Russia, will join them at Ile-Balkhash.
The Ili River Delta in Ile-Balkhash. Exxocette. CC BY-SA 4.0.
The creation of the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve in June 2018 marked a transformative step in Kazakhstan’s strategy to restore the Turan tiger population and rehabilitate its river delta ecosystems. Located along the southern shore of Lake Balkhash, Ile-Balkhash is the only preserve encompassing a river delta in Central Asia. Significant preparatory work has gone into reviving the tigers’ historical habitat; reforestation efforts have planted over 50 hectares with native species to recreate reed thickets and tugai (riparian) forests. In tandem, the government and conservation partners have reintroduced crucial prey species, such as the endangered Bukhara, or Tugai red deer, and kulan (Asiatic wild ass), and they have also improved the hydrological conditions of the Ili River.
Despite the project's international acclaim, social media and local conversations tell a more nuanced story. Many Kazakh people harbor concerns about the safety of humans and livestock. “Problems will be terrible when they breed in the wild. There are many populated areas everywhere where tigers will find something to eat,” commented one YouTube user. "I don't understand why this is necessary… it's deadly dangerous.” Others voice skepticism or outright opposition, asking, “[W]hy do we need predators when we already have enough wolves?"
The government is taking steps to mitigate these fears. Tigers will be fitted with tracking collars to establish early warning systems for communities, and a team will monitor their movement and be prepared to immobilize the tigers if it becomes absolutely necessary. As for concerns about livestock, the World Wildlife Fund expects the tigers to reduce livestock attacks by taking the place of wolves in the food chain.
Despite these safety measures, trust appears hard-won. Some are concerned that they will still not be able to sufficiently protect themselves from encounters with the tigers. “You get a longer sentence for killing a tiger than for killing a person,” one commenter warned.
With local concern, the 70-year extinction and the logistical challenges of restoring the habitat, why return tigers to Kazakhstan? Conservationists argue that it’s because tigers are charismatic megafauna, a species of large, visually striking animals, like pandas, that evoke strong emotions; their protection galvanizes efforts to restore the entire ecosystem. Tiger resurgence is tied to healthier habitats, biodiversity and new possibilities for ecotourism, a chance for Kazakhstan to reimagine itself as a hotspot for wildlife.
Ashley McDermott
Ashley is a PhD candidate in Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Michigan. She is committed to making her research useful for the communities she works with. Her work explores how families navigate language use and language shift in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. When she’s not working on her research, you’ll find her adventuring with her toddler daughter, whose commentary keeps every day interesting.