Assisted by a Russian scientist, Putin fixes a satellite transmitter to a tiger during his visit to the Ussuriysky forest reserve of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Far East on August 31, 2008. Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a Persian leopard cub at a breeding and rehabilitation center in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Perhaps the most important vote in Russia's public selection of a new Olympic mascot was cast when Putin said he wanted a funky leopard to represent the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Browse through for more photos of Putin trying his hand at different activities. Putin skis at the Laura Cross Country and Biathlon Centre near Sochi on January 3. Putin holds a pike he caught in the Siberian Tuva region of Russia on July 20, 2013. Putin enjoys some fishing during his vacation to the Tuva region on July 20, 2013. For years, Russia's leader has cultivated a populist image in the Russian media. Putin submerges on board Sea Explorer 5 bathyscaphe near the isle of Gogland in the Gulf of Finland on July 15, 2013. Putin studies a crane during an experiment called Flight of Hope on September 5, 2012, in which he piloted a hang glider, aiming to lead the birds into flight. It's part of a project to save the rare species of crane. Putin takes part in a training session for young ice hockey players before the "Golden Puck" youth tournament final in Moscow on April 15, 2011. Putin rides a Harley-Davidson to an international biker convention in southern Ukraine on July 14, 2010. The Russian president aims at a whale with an arbalest (crossbow) to take a piece of its skin for analysis at Olga Bay on August 25, 2010 . A wetsuit-clad Putin embarks on a dive to an underwater archaeological site at Phanagoria on the Taman Peninsula on August 10, 2011. Famed for his love of martial arts, Putin throws a competitor in a judo session at an athletics school in St. Petersburg on December 18, 2009. Putin during his vacation in southern Siberia on August 3, 2009. Putin swims the butterfly during his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in southern Siberia on August 3, 2009. Putin carries a hunting rifle in the Republic of Tuva on September 3, 2007. A shirtless Putin fishing in the headwaters of the Yenisei River in the Republic of Tuva on August 13, 2007. Putin in the cockpit of a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber jet at a military airport on August 16, 2005, before his supersonic flight.
- Tiger released by Russian President Vladimir Putin thought to have attacked goats in China
- Dead goats have 'finger-sized' holes in their skulls, consistent with a tiger bite
- This is not the first raid blamed on a tiger released by Putin
Hong Kong (CNN) -- A daring cross-border raid by one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's associates has -- so far -- yet to sour Sino-Russian relations.
According to Chinese state media, Ustin, one of three rescued Amur tigers released by the Russian leader earlier this year, has attacked a herd of goats on Heixiazi Island in the northern province of Heilongjiang.
The region shares a border with Russia's far-eastern Amur region, and it is thought that the tiger crossed the Heilongjiang river to hunt.
Russian conservationists rescued five cubs in 2012, and the Russian president was on hand for their release following rehabilitation and hunting training.
The animals were fitted with tracking devices and in October, Ustin, along with another released tiger, Kuzya, were found to have made their way to China.
Positive ID
A wildlife protection expert from China's Northeast Forestry University, Zhu Shibing, said that footprints and other traces left near the goat's shelter belonged to Ustin.
Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that the skulls of the two dead goats were crushed and had puncture wounds the "size of a human finger" -- a testament to the power of the tiger's bite. Three further goats remain missing.
"Our monitoring data and this attack all tell that Ustin is in good physical condition, and has a large range of activities on Heixiazi Island," Xinhua quoted Zhu as saying.
He also warned villagers to keep their distance, should they spot the goat killer, and to not throw food at it.
Repeat raid
Kuzya, the other tiger known to have crossed into China, was previously blamed for an attack on a Chinese hen-house.
The Russian leader has been involved in conservation efforts of the species.
He is often photographed with tigers and other wild animals, and takes part in a number of outdoor activities in an apparent effort to bolster his image as a strong, intrepid leader.
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