Her name is Umit. In Kazakh, it means “hope”, and few names have ever suited an animal so well.
On July 31, 2026, this Amur tigress walked free for the first time inside the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve in southeastern Kazakhstan. No tiger had set foot in the wild in that country for more than 70 years, when the Turan tiger became extinct forever. Before releasing her, specialists kept her in an adaptation enclosure for nearly two months, observing how she hunted, how she moved, and whether she was ready. Now she wears a satellite collar that records every step she takes.
Umit arrived from Khabarovsk, Russia, in May, alongside an adult male and two cubs that are still waiting their turn. A 2009 genetic study revealed that the Amur tiger is nearly identical to the extinct Turan tiger, and that is what made this plan possible. If it succeeds, Kazakhstan will become the first country in the world to return to the wild a population of tigers that had disappeared completely.