26-27 September 2015 in the far East of Russia marked tiger Day. On the last Sunday of September in several cities held theatrical performances, the participants are painted in tiger color and arranged mass celebrations. This is most clearly the event was celebrated in the capital of Primorye – Vladivostok, where the tiger Day was held for the 16th time, and festive events were held throughout the weekend.
The history of the Tiger's Day in Vladivostok originates in 2000, when the famous hunting writer Vladimir Troinin took the initiative to establish a holiday dedicated to the main inhabitant and symbol of Primorye, the Amur tiger. Then, 15 years ago, only a few dozen people took part in the ecological holiday, but the idea of holding the Tiger Day found support among the residents and authorities of the city and the following year, Tiger Day was given the status of an official city holiday.
Every year the scale and number of participants in the celebration of the “tiger day” of the calendar increased, and in 2014, when Tiger Day was celebrated for the 15th time, the Amur Tiger Center, created in 2013 by the Russian Geographical Society at the initiative of the President, joined the organization of the holiday Vladimir Putin. It was in 2014 that the holiday went beyond the framework of a single day and, thanks to the joint efforts of the Center, the Administration of the city of Vladivostok and the Administration of the Primorsky Krai, was held on a special scale.
In 2015, festive events dedicated to the Day of the Tiger, like a year ago, continued in Vladivostok for two days and took place at several sites in the city at once. In total, more than 15 thousand residents and guests of the capital of Primorye gathered to congratulate the “striped hero” of the holiday, and a record number of people took part in the Sunday costume procession - over 8 thousand adults and children in tiger costumes and in “tiger makeup” walked along Ocean Avenue to main square of the city. In addition, for the first time, Moscow took part in the celebration, where a special new Moscow Metro train was launched specifically for the Day of the Tiger. But first things first.
In total, more than 15 thousand residents and guests of the capital of Primorye gathered to congratulate the “striped hero” of the holiday, and a record number of people took part in the Sunday costume procession - over 8 thousand adults and children in tiger costumes and in “tiger makeup” walked along Ocean Avenue to main square of the city.
On the early Saturday morning of September 26, the “Striped Flight” arrived at Vladivostok airport. The plane, decorated with the joint project of the Amur Tiger Center and Transaero Airlines, depicting the Amur tiger, along with passengers on board on the runway, met a rainbow created by the hoses of two fire engines. On board the “tiger plane”, guests of the festival, artists, as well as the 100,000th participant in the charity program of the Center and the Agricultural Bank “Their fate is in our hands”, won the trip to Vladivostok, arrived in the capital of Primorye.
At that moment, when “Striped Flight” drove through the water arch at the airport, in the center of Vladivostok, on the embankment of the Sports Harbor, there was a presentation of the children's book “Amurchik and his taiga friends” - the second part of the series about the adventures of the little tiger, book created by the Amur Tiger Center together with the publishing house Rosmen. The continuation of the book, which had already been loved by the children and their parents, was presented personally by its author, Sergey Georgiev, and anyone could get a copy with his autograph and wishes. In just over 2 hours, more than 800 children managed to do this.
Also on the embankment at this moment celebrated "Birthday tiger cubs." Tiger cubs are a sculptural composition that was given to the city in 2013. Last year, they came up with the names: Amurchik and Taiga, and this year, on their birthday, many children and their parents gathered from all over the city. The guests actively participated in the children's holiday, painted their faces in tiger colors, took part in quizzes and contests, for participation in which gifts were waiting for everyone.
The official part of the Saturday program began at the Far Eastern Federal University. There was a presentation of the projects of the Center, as well as the student group “Tiger” - 2015, the participants of which equipped this year the second ecological path in the Sikhote-Alin reserve. The most active students received thanks from the Amur Tiger Center and souvenirs. The event ended with a creative concert and the ceremony of lighting the symbolic stele "Mutual cooperation of the Amur Tiger Center and FEFU."
After FEFU, the action shifted to the square with a monument to the Amur tiger at the Primorsky Opera and Ballet Theater. Near the monument, donated by the Amur Tiger Center to the city of Vladivostok in 2014, a memorial stele was solemnly opened, on which the results of all counts of the Amur tiger numbers from 1940 to the present have been plotted. The event was attended by Konstantin Chuichenko, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Head of the Supervisory Board of the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Amur Tiger Center, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Russian Federation Sergey Donskoy, Primorsky Krai Governor Vladimir Miklushevsky and Vladivostok Mayor Igor Pushkarev.
During his speech, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, Sergey Donskoy, summed up the official results of the continuous accounting of the Amur tiger, held in 2015. Now 523-540 individuals live on the territory of Russia.
After the presentation of the commemorative stela at the Primorsky Opera and Ballet Theater, the opening of the art exhibition “Tiger Story” took place. Within the framework of which, the winners of the same-name artist competition were announced (the list of winners is available here) Also at the exhibition were presented two panels with images of striped predators that the Amur Tiger Center donated to the Primorsky Krai.
Later, on the main stage of the theater, the Order of Honor, commendations and certificates of honor of the President of the Russian Federation, awards of the Russian Geographical Society, as well as awards of the Amur Tiger Center were presented. Honored awards for a great contribution to the study and preservation of the Amur tiger population were awarded by the Assistant to the President of Russia - Head of the Control Department of the President of Russia, Head of the Supervisory Board of the Amur Tiger Center Konstantin Anatolyevich Chuichenko. Here is the full list of awardees.
Order of Honor awarded:
Anatoly Andreev, specialist expert of the department for the protection, control and regulation of the use of wildlife in Primorsky Krai
Honorary diplomas of the President of the Russian Federation were awarded to:
Yury Vaseev, local state inspector in the field of environmental protection of the United Directorate of the National Park "Land of the Leopard" and the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, Primorsky Krai
Yuri Dunishenko, Senior Researcher of the Far Eastern Branch of the All-Russian Research Institute of Hunting and Animal Farming named after professor Zhitkov, Khabarovsk Krai
Sergey Mocheshnikov
Alexander Tomaev
Alexander Tsyplyaev, Senior State Inspector in the Field of Environmental Protection of the Joint Directorate of the National Park Land of the Leopard and the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, Primorsky Krai
Acknowledgment of the President of the Russian Federation:
Vladimir Aramilev, Senior Researcher, Pacific Institute of Geography, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Primorsky Krai
Alexander Gogol, Inspector of the State Natural Reserve "Poltavsky", Primorsky Krai
Elena Salmanova, Deputy Director of the Joint Directorate of the National Park "Land of the Leopard" and the Reserve "Cedar Pad", Primorsky Krai
Evgeny Stoma, Deputy Director of the Joint Directorate of the National Park "Land of the Leopard" and the reserve "Cedar Pad", Primorsky Krai
Alexander Sysik, inspector of the state natural reserve "Sredneussuriysky", Primorsky Krai
Small gold medals of the Russian Geographical Society awarded
Ivan Egorchev, full member of the Russian Geographical Society - Society for the Study of the Amur Region,
Yury Zhuravlev, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Institute of Biology and Soil Sciences of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Pavel Fomenko
Diplomas of the Russian Geographical Society awarded
Alexey Kostyra, Art. Researcher, Laboratory of Theriology, Biological Institute, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ph.D.
Andrei Murzin, Chief Programmer, Pacific Institute of Geography, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
The awards of the Amur Tiger Center for conscientious work and a great personal contribution to the preservation of the Amur tiger population were awarded
Sergey Vobly, Director of the Federal State Institution "State Experimental Hunting Farm "Orlinoye"
Yevgeny Grebennikov, Department of Hunting Surveillance in Primorsky Krai
Gennady Lyubitsky, Inspector of the Department of Hunting Survey of the Primorsky Krai
Sergey Krasnitsky, Head of Lazovsky Department of Hunting Surveillance
Anatoly Tarasenko
Vyacheslav Vasilyev, Director of the Department for the Protection, Control and Regulation of the Use of Fauna Objects in Primorsky Krai
Vladimir Boltrushko, Head of the Forest Department of the Government of the Khabarovsk Krai
After the award ceremony, a festive concert was held, during which the presentation of the collection of clothes and accessories by Valentin Yudashkin, developed specifically for the Amur Tiger Center as part of a joint charity project, took place. The famous Russian designer personally went on stage to greet the audience and talk about the project in support of Amur tigers.
The concert ended, and with it the first day of the Tiger's Day celebration with performances by Oleg Akulich, Vyacheslav Bykov, Dmitry Maltsev and Alexander Buinov.
