Stray Siberian tiger in China returns to Russia

A wild Siberian tiger from Russia has finished his brief vacation in Northeastern China and returned home, according to local forestry authorities.

The tiger first crossed the Wusuli River, or Ussuri River which borders China and Russia on March 8, according to Russian authorities who sought help from China to find the animal after losing contact with its GPS collar.

The Dongfanghong Forestry Bureau in Heilongjiang province organized a 50-member search team and was able to track the tiger while issuing warnings to adjacent villages.

After more than ten days of tracking the big cat, the bureau said on Tuesday that the tiger had returned to Russia.

"We followed it to the side of the (Wusuli) river where its paw prints were pretty clear," said Yang Lijuan, an official with the bureau. "So we sort of saw it off to Russia," She added.

It is rare for wild Siberian tigers, one of the world's top 10 endangered species and are primarily inhabiting the Sikhote Alin mountain region in Russia, to cross the country's border, especially in recent years, said experts.