A dedicated scientist, Victor Yudin scavenges just enough meat to feed the five Siberian tigers that pace and roar hungrily in a rusty enclosure behind his home. Rescued from the wild as cubs and seemingly gentle as they nuzzle and roll together, his tigers are among the most dangerous predators in the world. Before Perestroika the wilds of Eastern Russia were a restricted military zone and a haven for wildlife. Since the 1980s, logging and poaching have decimated their numbers to around 400. Starving tigers roam near Ternei, beside the Sikhote-Alin reserve, alienating villagers. Danill Rogotovsky is a poorly paid forest guard. He believes some tigers should be culled. Tiger skins fetch £2,000 and poachers still profit even after paying a fine. USA researcher John Goodrich has the unnerving task of tracking adult tigers through the forest. Sniffing tiger urine on the trees tells the trackers when one has passed by. Although obsessed by the beauty of these rare creatures, John keeps a safe 300 metres away. Indifference and poverty are powerful forces threatening the tiger's survival.

Produced by ABC Australia