Ananova:

Russian wildlife officials are visiting a zoo in Omaha to learn how to sedate and examine Siberian tigers without endangering them.

Only 400 to 500 of the endangered cats, which are native to Russia, China and North Korea, still exist in the wild.

Alexander Starovoyt, chief of the State Committee for Protection of Nature in Khabarovsk, says that because wildlife managers in Russia lack the resources and expertise to immobilize and relocate tigers, the cats are often shot when attacking livestock or entering villages.

A five-member Russian team are at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, which has the largest cat complex in North America, where they are practicing biological sampling techniques and observing how to sedate tigers.

Dr. Dale Miquelle, of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, said: "When we had a need to train people, this was the obvious place to bring them. They have some of the best expertise in immobilization of tigers."