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On a clear winters day that it warms to minus 20, we arrive to see an old friend and his extraordinary backyard animals. Peter, [Russian].

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Very good.

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That's the way.

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No?

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When we first saw Victor he had more problems than he could handle. Victor was single handedly trying to look after a menagerie of animals, including the family of Siberian tigers in a five hectare enclosure behind his house. He'd inherited the animals from his job as a zoology professor at Vladivostok University.

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But the collapse of state funding meant he was scrounging for meat and donations to keep them alive.

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Our story produced an extraordinary response. Viewers donated more than $70,000 to save the tigers and Victor. We came back with the latest instalment of cash and warm clothes for Victor and his wife Lena.

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The money is a fortune by Russian standards, but they've spent little on creature comforts for themselves.

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Their simple wooden house is as plain as ever. Their passion as always is to care for the tigers.

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Victor fears the tiger population in far east Russia has already dropped to just a few hundred, many thanks to hunting and poaching, making his family of five more precious than ever.

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The money raised from donations has not only covered future food costs, it's also paid for a truck to collect the tonnes of meat they eat each week.

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Part of the money has gone on materials for a modest house Victor is building next to the enclosure. He'll now be able to keep watch every night against poachers. But the priority has been expanding the tigers home.

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But it was not all good news. Two years ago Victor ran out of money to care for the growing family. He gave one of the cubs called Meshka to a wealthy animal lover in Vladivostok. All went well until local police seized Meshka to check the owners documents. The police handled her so roughly, they ruptured her intestines. Meshka underwent a series of operations but doctors gave her just a 50/50 chance of survival.

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Her injuries turned out to be even worse than the doctors feared.

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Meshka never recovered the use of her back legs, and gradually became unable to eat.

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Victor believes these surviving tigers are a priceless genetic resource. The parents Kneuker and Kutcha were born in the wild. They were brought to Victor as cubs after their mother was killed by poachers. Victor's keen to give their offspring to zoos so the genes can be passed on around the world.

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But so far not a single zoo has been interested in taking them. Some zoos have even told Victor to stop breeding, saying it's irresponsible to have more tigers than he can care for.

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Victor is stubbornly continuing to let them breed. Arguing it's essential for science and for preserving the species.

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There is still little protection for tigers in the wild. But the money raised from donations will ensure that these tigers at least are looked after. And Victor's lonely quest to restore their numbers will continue no matter what the cost.