• WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT 

By WILL STEWART

Published: 14:52 GMT, 13 March 2025 | Updated: 15:06 GMT, 13 March 2025

A Russian politician has been ripped to pieces and eaten by a Siberian tiger in a Siberian forest.

Andrey Kovera, 55, was killed after he was brutally mauled by the big cat, which ripped off his arm, wounded his head and ate his internal organs. 

His son Konstantin said: ‘My father worked as a forester for many years and knew how to behave when meeting a predator. But the tiger attacked him from behind.’

A major search is underway for the Siberian – or Amur – tiger that attacked the grandfather.

The species is the largest big cat in the world and is endemic to eastern Russia. The numbers of the tigers in the wild have increased in the past two decades, amid earlier fears of extinction, but they pose an increasing risk to humans.

Still, there are likely no more than 540 of the Siberian tigers living in the wild.

Kovera and an assistant had gone into the forest in remote Primorsky region when he was ambushed in the snowy forest.

His colleague came out of the forest, and reported the attack.

Andrey Kovera, 55, was killed after he was brutally mauled by the big cat, which ripped off his arm, wounded his head and ate his internal organs

Andrey Kovera, 55, was killed after he was brutally mauled by the big cat, which ripped off his arm, wounded his head and ate his internal organs

A major search is underway for the Siberian - or Amur - tiger that attacked the grandfather (file image of an Amur tiger)

A major search is underway for the Siberian – or Amur – tiger that attacked the grandfather (file image of an Amur tiger)

His son Konstantin said: 'My father worked as a forester for many years and knew how to behave when meeting a predator. But the tiger attacked him from behind.' Pictured above are authorities at the scene

His son Konstantin said: ‘My father worked as a forester for many years and knew how to behave when meeting a predator. But the tiger attacked him from behind.’ Pictured above are authorities at the scene

A search was launched which found Kovera’s remains.

Experts believe the attacking tiger was already wounded and an attempt is underway to snare the predator, found laying low in rocks some 900 yards from the dead man.

Leading Russian tiger expert Sergey Aramilev said: ‘It is unpredictable when the tiger will be caught.

‘There are signs of injury to the tiger, but we will know for sure after its capture.’

Kovera was described as a well-respected former local politician in the far east of Russia.

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Politician is ripped to pieces and eaten by Siberian tiger in Russian forest

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