Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve

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Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve is situated in Tajikistan close to the Afghan border, where the Vakhsh River and the Panj River join to form the Amu Darya. The reserve stretches over 40 from the southwest to the northeast.

The highest elevations reach about 1,200 m above sea level. The climate is continental and dry, the different habitats of Tigrovaya Balka comprise semideserts, savanna-like grasslands with pistachio trees and tugai vegetation with poplars, Russian silverberry and high grasses.

The area was one of the last strongholds of the Caspian tiger, whose tracks were seen in the reserve for the last time in 1953. Today Tigrovaya Balka is still home to the original main prey of the tiger, the rare Bactrian deer. Other larger species of the reserve include striped hyenas, jackals, swamp cats, wild boars, goitered gazelles, porcupines, the introduced nutrias, wolves, red foxes and in hills also urials.

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