Arrest over Siberian tiger poaching after rare big cat 'violently killed' this year

A man has been arrested after seeking to sell a tiger skin in the Russian Far East town of Nakhodka. The man claimed he found the pelt in 2006 before comprehensive bans on shooting the Siberian - or Amur - tiger were imposed.

But forensic analysis of the skin shows that the two year old tiger was 'violently killed in 2015', say reports. Police pointed to numerous holes in the skin consistent with being shot by poachers.

Law enforcement officials launched a criminal investigation into the poaching incident. The man was arrested in Nakhodka where he attempted to sell the skin. 

Hunting the tiger is banned with sentences of up to three years in jail imposed on those found guilty of flouting the law. Fines of up to one million roubles can be imposed. 

Siberian tigers - native to the Far East of Russia - are some of the rarest predators on Earth and are recovering after being on the verge of extinction. Some 500 animals now exist in the wild. But the species is yet not seen as secure for the future despite a gradual recovery in numbers. 

In August, vets failed in a ten-day attempt to save a badly injured Siberian tiger whose plight was reported around the world after she was shot. A cub was also shot dead in Khabarovsk region. Today's report is the third known tiger to be shot this year.