The tigress who came in from the wild because she needed a dentist

An exhausted Siberian tigress - one of only 500 still living in the wild - came out of the wild in Khabarovsk region and lay down on the porch of a house in the village Solontsovy, blocking the door. 

Resident Galina Tsimarno explained how her neighbour came across his unexpected visitor. 

'Alexey Khaideyev came across a tiger on his porch,' she said.

'He and his wife and grandmother live on the outskirts of the village, near the river and forest. He wanted to go out to the yard in the morning, but his door was pressed by 'someone' from outside. 

'He began to push the door and heard a tiger growling. 

'He went back inside and started calling to all the emergency services.'

The big cat did not budge. 

She explained: 'The tiger spent all the day on Alexey's porch until the emergency team arrived.'

The big cat was sedated and transported to an animal rehabilitation centre in Alekseevka village, Primorsky region.

Here they found that the predator was female and probably around ten years old  - with severe teeth and gum problems.

Director of the Amur Tiger Centre, Sergey Aramilev, commented: 'The animal was extremely exhausted, but there were no visible injuries  from firearms. 

'However, there are problems with her oral cavity. The tigress behaved absolutely peacefully, as if she was waiting for human help. Nevertheless, the condition of a rare predator is severe and it needs urgent action.’

Ministry of Natural Resources head conservationist Yury Kolpak explained: 'The tigress is thoroughly exhausted. She has serious gum problems and there are no upper teeth.’

It is likely her tiredness is due to being unable to eat properly. 

'Now it is very important to provide the predator with qualified assistance.' 

Aramilev explained: 'We will not hide that the situation with the tigress is sad. Now everything depends on her. 

'In her current physical condition, it is deadly to put her into under an anaesthetic yet without this, it is impossible to carry out 'active' treatment. 

'The animal, though she came for help, does not allow us to approach to her. Now even injections are carried out remotely. 

'We really hope that the tigress will pick herself up and survive. For our part, we are doing everything possible.' 

She is at least eating and has been put on a diet of ground meat laced with antibiotics.

We will keep in touch with the progress of this brave tigress and report further on efforts to help her. 

The Siberian or Amur tiger species is under severe threat in the wild.

Only around 500 animals exist in their natural habitat in eastern Russia.

Numbers are rising but the species is under threat of extinction from a sudden spread of disease.