Amur tigers counted in Russia's Far East

A detailed account of Amur tigers was carried out for the first time in the last ten years in Russia's Far East, representative of the Natural Resources Ministry Amirkhan Amirkhanov said on Friday.

The Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund and Russian Natural Resources Ministry were involved in the project, he added.

Russia accounts for 90% of this rare species. Russia's Far East is the habitat of some 500 Amur tigers.

According to WWF-Russia director Igor Chestin, the last account of tigers was carried out in 1995-1996. About 450 beasts were counted at that time.

"The difference of 2004-2005 results from 1995-1996 results does not reflect changes in the number of tigers. It points to a more thorough examination of the habitat," Chestin said.

6 million rubles ($209,773) were spent on the project, he added.