The Tiger Day was held in Vladivostok on September 23, 2001.
The Holiday started with the Carnival procession down the main street to the Central Square. More than 500 people took part in the march.
The bikers from a famous “Iron Tigers” bike-club headed the procession. They were followed by the Pacific Fleet orchestra, dance groups, children in fancy tiger and leopard costumes, artists and circus actors, and schoolchildren of Pozharsky and Khasan districts of Primorye, who came to visit the holiday.
Many conservation organisations joined the march, including Inspection Tiger, Hunting Management Board and Nature reserves etc. The fabulous processionwas greeted warmly by the citizens and foreign guests.
Invitations were sent to international NGOs and several representatives came to Vladivostok to celebrate the Great Tiger Day with us! Organisers made a welcoming speech on the Vladivostok Central Square and David Prynn, a representative of the 21st Century Tiger (UK), congratulated warmly on this holiday.
Different contests, folk and modern dances, theatrical and musical performances, prepared by the local artists and children, were carried out on a stage of the Central Square till 7 p.m. There were quizzes and games for kids and adults, like “what do you know about tigers”, “describe the tiger”, “tiger’s strength”, “clean environment for tigers”. The winners received special awards from Phoenix and sponsors.
A large screen on the Central Square showed movies on tiger and nature conservation in the Russian Far East.
Even drizzle that started in the evening cannot spoil the elated mood of the citizens. The festival ended with a merry discotheque under the autumn rain. Schoolchildren from Pozharsky district returned home on September 24 to celebrate a similar Tiger Day in Luchegorsk village. There the local people were shown
the videos on the Tiger Day in Vladivostok. Then the artists’ performances started. The same ecological holiday will be held on October 13, 2001 in Khasan for the fifth time.
The Holiday received a broad coverage on the local and federal TV. All the Tiger Day participants will keep remembering this fascinating day for a long time and become nature lovers and support the tiger conservation in the region. We are sure that next year many more citizens and guests of the city will join the Tiger Holiday in Vladivostok, and hope that you will be one of them!
