Extinct Massive Caspian Tigers To Be 'Brought Back To Life'

One of the largest subspecies of cats, Caspian tigers that went extinct in the 1960s could be brought back to life if everything goes as planned by a team of researchers.

According to a Science Alert report, a new study has laid out the plan for reintroducing the Caspian tiger, with the help of the Siberian tiger subspecies that are genetically similar to the former.

According to the study that was published in the journal Biological Conservation, the Siberian tiger's "phenotype proves adaptable to the arid conditions of the introduction site." This implies that Siberian tigers, which are inhabitant of Russia's birch forests, could settle down in the Central Asian regions where Caspian tigers once roamed -- in Turkey, through Iran and Iraq as well as Northwestern China.

Caspian tigers went extinct in the middle of the 20th century due to food shortages, habitat and hunting loss due to varied causes including the destruction of their habitat such as reed beds and woodlands. This was due to irrigation projects, which also led to the disappearance of the big cats' prey. Moreover, until the 1930s, the former Soviet Union promoted trapping and poisoning of Caspian tigers.

The research team that is planning to reintroduce Siberian tigers in Central Asia as the new Caspian tigers is choosing sites according to how much the land is used by people. At present, the team has chosen a 7,000 square kilometer large area comprising of Ili River delta and adjacent southern coast of Balkhash Lake as the most promising site.

Furthermore, the area has a population of roe deer, Bukhara deer and wild boar that would be good preys for the reintroduced subspecies. However, "It is vital to restore wild ungulate (hoofed mammal) populations in the area, that alone could take five to 15 years," said conservationist Mikhail Paltsyn. The conservationist also added that the research team has to make sure that people and tigers can exist together in the area.